The Sun Sets to Rise Again
by lawslave
Summary: Jamie learns how to live and love again after an unexpected loss.
1. Chapter 1

_This idea came about after watching 'Return to Me', but the unexpected loss of a spouse and the blind date scene are as far as the similarities go. Not sure I can manage daily updates right now, but I will do my best. I hope you enjoy and please review so I know what you think!_

Chapter 1

Jamie walked through the door of the loft, dropping his duffle bag onto the floor as he slid out of his jacket. "Hey, I'm home! Syd?" he called out as he scanned the living room for his wife of just one year.

Based on the last few texts he received from her, he knew she was worried he wouldn't make it home in time to get ready for their big night out. He was running late becuase of a collar he and his partner made just before EOT. But as a rookie officer with a no-nonsense sergeant as his TO, he knew there was no way he was getting out of processing their perp and filing his report just so he could jump into a monkey suit and head out to a big fancy party. Renzulli would have laughed in his face at such a request from his boot.

Jamie hung his jacket and pulled his off-duty weapon from his belt, stowing it away in his usual drawer of a table in the entryway before walking further into the apartment.

Sydney came out of their bedroom as she slid the back of an earring onto its post. Her eyes widened in relief when they landed on her husband. "Finally!" she exclaimed with a bright smile. "I thought I was going to end up going to the Bar Gala all alone."

Jamie's eyes widened as well while they ran up and down Sydney's petite frame. "Wow! Look at you!" he gushed as they met in the middle of the loft.

Sydney blushed at his reaction, but struck a pose for him anyway. "You like what you see, officer?" she teased playfully as she extended the chiffon skirt of the red strapless gown she wore.

Jamie brought his head down and kissed her ruby red lips while wrapping his arms around her slim waist, being careful to avoid messing her up-do. "I like. I'd like it even more if we'd just stay home," he replied with a mischievous grin and a wiggle of his brows.

Sydney giggled. "Jamie, come on! We're gonna be late!" she admonished despite his efforts to distract her through a series of kisses on her neck that instantly sent shivers down her spine. "Just because you gave up law to become a cop doesn't mean you're off the hook from going to these things with me," she added.

Jamie sighed in disappointment and dropped his head onto her bare shoulder to place one last kiss there. "Alright, alright," he conceded. "Can't blame a guy for trying. You're rocking that dress, honey," he said with one last peck on her cheek.

Sydney smiled back but pushed him away. "Flattery will usually get you everywhere, but not tonight. Now hurry. Your tux is hanging on the closet door," she said, laughing at the look on his face.

"Fine," Jamie conceded and walked back toward the bedroom. "Give me ten and I'll be ready," he told her while pulling his T-shirt up and over his head.

"Great, because the car will be here in ten. So hurry," she ordered, but couldn't help the smile that grew on her face as she admired the view of her husband stripping out of his clothes.

Sydney turned away before she got tempted to give his suggestion to skip the gala any real consideration.

* * *

Several doctors and nurses crowded the hallway leading to the ambulance bay of the Bellevue Hospital Emergency Department in quiet anticipation of the trauma patient that would soon arrive. It was an all-hands-on-deck for multiple casualties from a motor vehicle accident with at least two critical and they were awaiting the first of those casualties.

The staff was suddenly rushing forward as medics stormed through the doors into the emergency room. "What do we got?" the dark haired doctor shouted.

The ER staff surrounded the stretcher as it moved swiftly down the corridor in search of a trauma room. They began assessing their patient before the medics even had a chance to provide their own initial report.

One medic was riding the rails of the stretcher carrying a motionless figure in a bright red dress as a second pushed it along, squeezing the ambu bag over the patient's bloodied and bandaged face. "Twenty-eight year old female, passenger in an MVA. Severe head trauma. Unresponsive since we arrived on scene. BP was 70/58 before she crashed in the bus," he advised.

"Get her into trauma one," the doctor ordered as he followed along side the stretcher with his team. "How many more we got coming here?" he asked with a glance back at the medic.

"We got two more on the way here, buses should be right behind us. One of them's the husband," the same medic responded. "His injuries appeared to be minor compared to hers," he reported as they disappeared into the confines of the trauma room.

Another team of doctors and nurses moved out to await their next patient. Five minutes later, the doors to the emergency room burst open again, but the medics were a little less rushed than the first pair.

One medic eyed a physician before nodding down at his patient. "Officer Jamison Reagan, twenty-eight year old male, second passenger in the MVA, laceration to the head and right hand, denies loss of consciousness, BP's 140/90 and not answering too many questions - his wife was brought in before him."

One of the first responding officers on the scene of the accident had recognized the PC's son and had helped the medics when their patient became determined to interrogate them on his wife's condition in lieu on providing basic information about himself.

Jamie was strapped to the stretcher, his head immobilized and neck secured in cervical collar and not the least bit concerned about his own health. "I'm fine. Where's Sydney? Is she here?" he asked as his eyes frantically roamed the faces surrounding him. Jamie grimaced as he was moved from the stretcher to a gurney, his stomach rolling from the sudden movement. His uninjured hand clenched into a fist out of frustration at having to be confined to his current position. He was panicked over Sydney's injuries and not knowing what was going on with her was killing him. The fact that she had been completely unresponsive to the sound of his voice back in the car had terrified him.

Most of the medical staff worked seamlessly around him, barely acknowledging their patient's inquiries.

"She's getting treated in the other room, alright?" one doctor finally responded before he shouted orders at the nurses.

Jamie's eyes searched the faces leaning over him for the doctor that had answered. "How is she? Is she okay?" he asked, his voice cracking at the end. His distress was steadily growing and the cacophony of noise around him while he was simultaneously being stripped and manipulated on the gurney was not helping.

"The doctors are still with her. I'll make sure they know you're here so that they can update you when they're done, but right now we need to got you looked at, alright?" the doctor replied, distracted by the care he was rendering to his own patient.

Jamie clenched his jaw and stared at the ceiling of the trauma room with watery eyes. He continued to ignore the medical professionals because he could feel it in his gut - everything was not all right.

* * *

Jamie sat in the small private waiting room just outside of the ICU at Bellevue. He was completely motionless, the clipboard and pen in his hands forgotten as he stared off into space. The doctors' words from earlier that morning still echoed in his head, but he couldn't quite grasp them.

 _There is no brain function._

 _...no prospect of recovery, even though her heart may still be beating with the help of artificial life support._

He didn't want to believe them. He'd been numb from head to toe since the specialists had broken the news to him and their families. Jamie hadn't been able to react. He sat there, flanked by his father and sister, while Sydney's parents had broken down at the grim prognosis for their daughter. Erin had tried to remain strong, but was unable to hold back the tears that eventually ran down her face. Frank had been a pillar of strength at his side as the doctors explained the choice he needed to make about his wife's medical care. But truth be told, Jamie had been oblivious to all of it.

For the first time in his adult life, Jamie Reagan was at a complete loss on what to do.

Sydney's parents had left the room to sit at their daughter's bedside, her father squeezing Jamie's shoulder gently as he passed him. When they'd left the room, Jamie had finally found his voice, asking his family for a moment to himself. Erin and Frank had been hesitant to leave him, exchanging looks of concern, but had conceded eventually. Frank understood needing some time to yourself after having something like this dropped in your lap so unexpectedly. They hadn't wandered too far from the waiting room, however, and remained ready to return to Jamie's side when, and if, he needed them.

But worry for his youngest brought Frank back to the room after some time. Jamie was always one to hold things in and Frank feared he might already be shutting down. He quietly reopened the lone door to the waiting room and found Jamie in the same position, stock still on the couch, lost in the thoughts and memories swirling around in his mind.

Frank took in the sight for a moment. Jamie was still dressed in the same gym clothes Danny had found packed away in the trunk of his car. He had given them to his brother when Jamie was getting ready to be discharged from the emergency room thirty-six hours ago - hours after his world had been turned completely upside down and his heart ripped from his chest.

Frank winced at the stranglehold Jamie had on the pen in his right hand, the same one that had been carefully stitched and wrapped in the ER. He'd come out of the accident with minor physical injuries that would heal with time. The doctors had been concerned about head trauma, but scans had come back negative. He was lucky, they had told him, but Jamie hadn't felt very lucky having to sit in the emergency room with his father and brother practically forcing him to remain there while the physicians finished treating him. He'd walked away with the lacerations on his hand and head while his wife needed a machine to keep her alive.

Frank stepped fully into the waiting room and closed the door behind him. He took a seat on the couch next to his youngest, his frown deepening when he still failed to get any kind of reaction. He knew from experience that there really wasn't anything anyone could say to make this situation better.

"I'm so sorry, son," Frank whispered. He breathed deeply, wringing his hands together nervously. "I know what you're going through right now. I won't ask how you're doing," he said softly. "But we're all here for you, Jamie. Whatever you need," he offered.

Frank waited him out, knowing he'd open up when he was ready.

Eventually, he did. "How am I supposed to do this?" Jamie said softly, barely loud enough for Frank to hear right next to him. His eyes remained fixated on some obscure point across the room.

Frank's heart clenched at the pain in his voice. He turned toward him, getting a close up view of the bruising along the right side of his forehead and down his temple that had darkened to a deep purple, peaking out around a square of white gauze.

Jamie continued to stare off. "First mom...then Joe. And now this?" he rasped. He didn't think he could deal with losing Sydney too. He shouldn't have to. It wasn't fair. Why not him? "How do I do this without her?" he wondered out loud.

Frank looked down at his hands and forced himself to still them. "You just do, son. It's what Sydney would want," he whispered.

After several long moments, Jamie closed his eyes and lowered his head. When he opened them again, tears pooled within them as he read the form on his lap. Jamie pressed the tip of the pen against the document and hesitated for several long moments before he scribbled his name along the bottom, his vision blurring as the pen moved across paper. Once he was done, he tossed the clipboard and pen onto the coffee table and stared down at his trembling hands, the ones that had just signed the consent forms to withdraw the life support keeping Sydney alive. Jamie felt the first tears fall and knew he could only be so strong. He didn't feel the strength to do anything, let alone pretend that anything would ever be okay. He was unable to hold back the sob that escaped from his mouth, leaning forward in his seat to hide his face in the palms of his hands.

Frank pressed his lips together as his own chin began to tremble. It was killing him to see his son going through the same pain he'd experienced when he lost his Mary, maybe more so because it was a loss that shouldn't be experienced by a twenty-eight year old newlywed.

Frank reached over and ran a hand soothingly up Jamie's back. When he reached his shoulder, he pulled Jamie to him, wrapping his arms around his boy as he shook with grief. The cries of shear anguish broke any resolve he had to be strong for Jamie and Frank wept right along with him.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the reviews and much thanks to lilAzIaNpride24 and werks for your help with this story!_

Chapter 2

 _Eighteen Months Later_

Vinny peered around the metal door of his locker to peek at his partner. He sensed that he had annoyed Jamie as they were winding down their Sunday tour. He'd offered to set him up on a date - his girlfriend had a friend who was smart, pretty and well-educated. Vinny figured she might be right up his alley. His knew his partner didn't have much of a social life and he wanted to help the guy out.

"Come on, Reagan, man. It's time to get out there," Vinny Cruz said.

"I'm fine," Jamie responded as he stuffed his dirty uniform into his bag. He was avoiding his partner's eyes to hide his discomfort and annoyance at having this topic brought up again. It seemed that everyone and their mother was after him to 'get out there', 'find a nice girl', and 'have some fun'. You name it, he'd heard it from any number of friends and family members, but his heart wasn't in it and he didn't know when it would be.

And no one seemed to get that.

Vinny closed his locker and stood in front of his partner with his hands on hips. It didn't escape his attention how Jamie tensed whenever he brought up this issue, but what kind of partner would he be if he didn't watch his back? "You're not fine. All you do is work, box at the gym and hang with your family," he pointed out as he turned to check his bag and make sure he had everything.

"So?" Jamie shrugged, shutting his own locker and walking quickly out of the locker room in the hopes that he would be leaving his partner behind.

"So?" Vinny echoed with a raised brow. He stood up straight when he suddenly found himself alone and quickly jogged after his partner.

Jamie sighed to himself when he heard the familiar voice follow behind.

Vinny skirted to the left to make way for a perp and his arresting officer before catching up to him. "Listen, man, I'm not saying those things are bad. And don't take this the wrong way, but it's time for you to go out and meet new people," he explained and paused for a second to summon the courage to add one more thing. "A girl, maybe."

Jamie knew he was coming from a good place but didn't want to hear it. "Vin, I don't think -"

"Hey, no disrespect, partner, really," he interrupted. "I'm just concerned, is all." And he was. They hadn't even been working together a year and he could tell the guy was lonely despite the big family and countless friends he had on the force and elsewhere. He couldn't imagine what losing a wife must have been like, but he had to get back out there eventually. Right?

"Some random girl is not going to fix that," Jamie argued as he stepped out of the precinct.

"A fling? No. But some companionship? A relationship? Yes," Vinny clarified.

"I'm not interested. And I have gone out, by the way," Jamie claimed as he acknowledged a few officers making their way up the precinct steps.

"With who?" Vinny asked. Jamie missed how his face scrunched up as he considered his partner's statement. Vinny's brow then suddenly furrowed when he remembered one particular brunette. "You mean Dana?"

"Yeah," Jamie confirmed as Vinny caught up to him on the sidewalk.

"You only went out one time," Vinny pointed out.

That was true. Jamie had only gone out once with Dana after running into her one day while on tour. And he had only agreed to the lunch date because she had been a friendly face from the past, familiar and safe. In the end, that had been the problem. She ended up being a constant reminder of Sydney, in both appearance and personality, even in the stories they shared of their time at Harvard. He found that too difficult to deal with. Jamie had made it apparent when they ended the date that things wouldn't progress at all from there.

Jamie felt the need to end this conversation now. "I'll see you later, man. I'm already running late to dinner with the family. See you tomorrow," he said quickly, leaving behind an even more concerned partner.

* * *

Jamie sat in his father's living room after dinner, hunched forward on the couch as he went through an old photo album. He'd shown up halfway through the meal, apologizing for his tardiness and avoiding the usual looks of sympathy he'd get, mainly from Erin and Linda. But lately he'd started to notice some concern coming from the men in the family, which irked him, so he ignored it. Just like he ignored most things these days to avoid the conversations that would ultimately lead to his personal life, or the lack there of, and the painful issue of Sydney's death. Jamie had become a master at the avoidance game over the past year and a half.

Jamie sat up when a glass of scotch appeared in his line of sight. He looked up into the kind face of his father and reached for the proffered drink. "Thanks," he said.

"You're welcome," Frank returned as he took a seat next to him. "You looked like you could use it," he added while glancing at the old album on the coffee table.

Jamie's brow creased at the comment.

Frank turned to his son when he remained silent. "You usually pull the albums out when you're thinking about certain people," he explained.

"Is that right?" he asked and smiled sadly. "You could always read me like an open book," he stated with a mixture of annoyance and warmth at the fact that his father knew him so well.

"You are my son."

"Yeah," Jamie replied, grateful for that.

Frank sat back. "Jamie, you know you can talk to me right?"

Jamie nodded and looked down into his glass. "Of course," he said.

"Then talk to me, son," he pleaded.

"I don't -" Jamie began to respond.

"I've been in your shoes, Jamie," Frank interrupted. "So don't try the 'everything's fine' line on me." He took a deep breath as he organized his thoughts, flashing back to a time when he too struggled with the loss of a spouse. "At first, it feels like your heart's been ripped out and things are never going to be good again. And then slowly the world goes back to normal, except the part with the giant void you can't seem to fill. Once you've healed enough and think that maybe you should try to take part in the normal things in life, you hesitate. You hesitate because you feel like that would be some sort of betrayal," Frank said. He waited until Jamie looked at him, acknowledging all that he'd just said with one look.

After which, Jamie quickly turned away, his lips forming a tight line. He took a quick sip from his glass to distract himself.

"It's time for you to go out there and live again, Jamie."

Jamie frowned and opened his mouth to argue.

Frank held a hand up swiftly. "Hold up," he ordered. "I mean more than the work and family you limit yourself to."

Jamie sighed, too tired to pretend everything was fine. "I don't know how," he confessed.

"Sure you do," Frank assured him. "I'm not trying to be flippant and I know it's cliche, but it's like riding a bike. Trust me, I know," he said. He looked sadly at his tumbler as he considered the fact that three generations of Reagan men were all widowers.

Jamie rolled his eyes at the expression. "It wouldn't feel right," he shared.

Frank nodded in understanding. "At first it might not. Not because it's wrong even though you think it is, but because it's all new again. You're not even thirty years old, son. You have your whole life still ahead of you and you're too young to be spending it alone."

Jamie knew he was right. Still, to this day, he missed Sydney terribly. He missed her and what having her in his life meant - the love, the companionship, the intimacy. He'd always been the kind of person that thrived on those things in his life. And truth be told, he was afraid to have them again because he felt that he might be betraying Sydney and her memory; afraid that if he had them again, it could so easily slip out of his grasp like it had already.

"Sydney would not have wanted that for you," Frank whispered.

Jamie met his father's eyes. No one would ever understand him like he did. "I know." He took another sip and leaned back against the couch cushions. "When did you know it was time?"

Frank smiled in response. "Not that you should follow my example, but it was about three years after your mom passed."

A memory flashed across Jamie's mind and he pursed his lips as he tried to hold back a grin.

Frank raised an eyebrow at his son. "What?"

"Blonde with long hair," Jamie said, thinking back to that cold fall night long ago.

"Who?" Frank asked.

"Was that who you were seeing about the time I went on the job? Right after graduation?" Jamie inquired.

Frank sat back, confused as to how Jamie would know about Kelly. He remembered standing around the kitchen with his youngest after a drama-filled Sunday dinner, and admitting to Jamie that he had been seeing someone when his son had asked him about it. But Frank had never said who he had been dating. "How did you know that?"

The grin remained on Jamie's face. "After my first day on the job, Syd and I went to dinner with some friends down on pier sixteen," he began.

"And?" Frank prompted.

"Well, we were outside along the river and who do I see? You, of all people, escorting a tall blonde to a cab. And it was obviously more than just a friendly goodbye, dad," Jamie said, smirking.

Frank was surprised, both eyebrows arching up, almost comically high. "You saw us?" he croaked.

"Yeah," Jamie nodded with a laugh.

"How come you never said anything?"

Jamie shrugged. "What was I supposed to say? I was fine with it. Like you said, mom had been gone for years. None of us expected or would want you to be alone for the rest of your life."

Frank smiled sadly and gave him a knowing look. "So now you know where we're all coming from," Frank clarified.

"Yeah," Jamie conceded. "It's still tough to do though."

"Tell me about it," Frank sighed, remembering well how daunting that had been and he'd been out of the dating scene decades longer than Jamie has. "But once you do, it does get easier," he assured his son.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jamie came to a stop just inside one of their usual haunts and searched the bar for his partner. Unsuccessful in his first cursory glance, he side-stepped through the Thursday night crowd filled with the familiar faces of off-duty patrolmen and women out of the Twefth and a few of the surrounding precincts. He heard a few greetings from some of his colleagues and was halfway through the room when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Reagan! Over here!" Vinny called out with a big wave of his arm.

Jamie nodded in acknowledgement as he spotted Vinny and two women sitting at a high top and took a deep breath to settle his nerves before heading their way.

"Hey, man," Vinny greeted and reached out to shake his partner's hand. "Glad you made it. You remember Carli?" he asked while motioning to the woman sitting next to him.

Jamie recalled meeting her a few times before and gave her a friendly smile. Vinny had only been dating her for a short time. "Yeah, it's good to see you again, Carli," he responded.

"Good to see you too, Jamie," the young brunette replied.

"And this is Carli's friend, Julia Adams. Julia, this is my partner, Jamie Reagan," Vinny said, making introductions and secretly hoping he could get the two to make some kind of connection, however small.

Jamie turned to fully face his blind date and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Julia," he said, smiling nervously at the blonde. He had to admit that Julia was attractive, but in a heavily-made-up, look-at-me kind of way. Jamie shook his head subtly and pushed that thought out of his mind quickly, not wanting any negative thoughts to ruin the evening before it even began.

"Likewise," Julia said as she looked Jamie over appreciatively.

"Julia is a financial consultant at a big firm downtown," Vinny advised.

"Oh, that's great," Jamie said with some forced enthusiasm. He gave the woman a tight smile and took a seat next to her. Try as he might, Jamie couldn't ignore his gut and it was telling him this night would not end the way he was sure Vinny wanted it to end.

"Yeah, it is," she said confidently. "If you ever need financial advice, just give me a call," she added as she eyed her surroundings with a look of distaste.

Jamie picked up on the way she was sizing up the place, certain it wasn't the type of establishment she preferred for a first date. He also sensed there was some doubt on her part as to his need for the kind of financial advice she offered her clients. "I'll remember that," he said politely.

Julia huffed in annoyance. "Where's the waitress? We've been here forever and no one's come by," she complained.

"This is a great place; they must be short handed. A couple of guys from our precinct own it," Vinny stated as he searched the room for one of the usual servers.

"If you're into places like these," Julia mumbled. Bored with the wait, she reached into her purse for a compact and checked her face.

Jamie's gut was screaming at him now. "I like it," he said as he met Vinny's eyes for a very brief moment.

Vinny already sensed this wouldn't end well.

"A menu would be nice," Julia grumbled as she put the compact away.

As if on cue, a petite blonde with a friendly smile arrived at their table. "Sorry about the hold up, guys, Rick's got a few people out sick tonight," she apologized.

Jamie looked at the waitress, finding something about her familiar. "Do I know you from somewhere?" he asked.

The waitress turned to Jamie and studied him as well. "Maybe. But I'm usually drinking here and not serving. Maybe that's why you recognize me, I'm here a lot. I'm helping Rick out tonight since he's short staffed," she explained. "I'm Eddie by the way."

Jamie reached out to shake her hand. "Jamie and that's my partner, Vinny."

Eddie's brows shot up and her blue eyes brightened. "You two cops?"

"Yeah, out of the Twelfth," Jamie confirmed.

"Can't wait to join the club. Maybe I'll be seeing you around a lot more. I'm actually in the academy right now," Eddie advised.

Jamie was surprised. "Oh, seriously? You're gonna be a cop?" he asked.

Eddie chuckled. "Don't sound so surprised there, sport," she replied.

"Oh, I didn't mean -," Jamie backtracked, hoping he hadn't insulted her.

Vinny raised an eyebrow at the waitress and his partner as he observed their exchange.

Eddie smiled at Jamie's look of alarm. "No worries. Like I said, I'm just helping Rick out, so this isn't my regular gig. But the extra cash doesn't hurt," she returned.

"Ahem. Excuse me. Could we get a wine list please," Julia snapped impatiently.

Eddie's head turned to the other blonde. "A wine list?" she asked as she looked at the others at the table and wondered if this woman hadn't realized she was at a cop bar. "Really?"

"Yes," Julia huffed with some annoyance.

Eddie snorted. "Well, we have some wines, but not enough to warrant a list," she pointed out.

Julia rolled her eyes. "Well, that figures," she muttered under her breath before eyeing Eddie. "Do you have anything French? I can only drink French wine."

Eddie plastered a large fake smile onto her face, wondering what would happen to the snooty woman if her wine wasn't French. "I'm sure we do. Red good?" she asked sweetly, pretending she hadn't picked up on the snotty attitude from the other woman. She glanced at Jamie quickly, thinking that the pair didn't match, not that she knew him at all.

"A Bordeaux, please," Julia ordered.

"I'll have a margarita," Carli requested politely.

"Two pints for us," Vinny said as he pointed between himself and Jamie.

"Right away, guys," Eddie said and left to get their drinks with a quick glance Jamie's way.

Julia sighed. "Well, she had a bit of an attitude, didn't she?" she snarled.

Jamie shook his head as he followed Eddie with his eyes. "Nah, she was alright," he countered.

"No, I can always tell with women," she argued.

Jamie was surprised at the attitude coming from Carli's friend and figured Vinny hadn't met her before today either. He suddenly felt the need to get out of there. "Uh, would you excuse me for a second?" he said as he slid off his chair.

"Where you going, Reagan?" Vinny asked suspiciously.

"The restroom. I'll be right back," Jamie assured him and he would be, but he was quickly formulating a plan in his head. Some may argue that he wasn't giving Julia a fair chance, but he was willing to bet Julia would not grow more pleasant as the evening continued. He easily gave in to his urge to flee.

Jamie was making his way to the back of the bar as he quickly - and discretely - typed out a message to his brother.

 _call me in 10, ignore whatever I say_

As he hit send and slid the phone back into his pocket, he caught sight of Eddie putting a tray together with their drinks. She reached toward the back of the bar and pulled out a single serve bottle of cheap, red domestic wine - the kind you'd find at the check out of a convenience store. Jamie grinned as she poured the wine into a glass while looking around the crowded bar. Startled when she caught him staring back, she turned quickly, just enough so the bottle was hidden behind her, but the look of guilt on her face was proof that she knew she'd been caught.

Jamie was not in need of the bar's facilities, but continued on his way, stopping near the back to say hello to a few more guys from the precinct to kill a few minutes. Jamie eventually bid farewell to his colleagues and plastered a fake smile onto his face as he headed back to the table. There were still a few minutes to spare before Danny hopefully came through for him. He was just sitting back down when Eddie came back with a full tray. Carli, Julia and Vinny's conversation came to a halt as the drinks were passed out.

"Here you go, a glass of France's finest," Eddie proclaimed as she placed the wine in front of her customer. Her eyes darted over to Jamie, wondering if he'd rat her out, but she quickly went about passing out the rest of the drinks. "Here are some food menus and I'll come back and check on you guys in a bit," she said and quickly left the table.

"I wonder if they make anything that's not deep fried," Julia groused as she picked up her glass.

Jamie fought to keep the smirk off his face but lost that battle when Julia began sniffing her wine, casually bringing his hand up to his face to hide it.

"Oh, this is lovely," she said and paused to take a sip, closing her eyes as she appeared to be pleased with the wine. "There's nothing like French wine, don't you agree Jamie?"

Jamie looked over at Julia with a thoughtful expression. "I'm more of a beer guy myself. Wines all taste the same to me," he responded and took a long drink from his glass to occupy himself.

Julia placed a hand on Jamie's forearm. "That's because you're not drinking good wine. I must take you to a tasting," she offered.

"Oh, uh, that sounds -" Jamie started to say when he was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone which he had conveniently placed on the table when he returned to his seat. He looked down at the caller ID and found Danny's number on the screen, sending prayers of thanks for his impeccable timing.

Vinny glanced down at the phone as well.

"Excuse me a sec, it's my brother," he said as he turned to face away from the group. "Hey, Danny, can I call you back later?" he asked.

 _"What're ya talking about, kid?" Danny asked in confusion. "You told me to call you. What's going on?" he grumbled._

"No kidding?" Jamie asked as he glanced at the other occupants at the table with an expression of surprise. "Where are you? You okay?" he continued.

 _"What're you talking about? I'm fine. I'm at the precinct. What's going on with you?" Danny asked more forcefully._

But Jamie continued to ignore Danny's questions. "No, no, that's fine. I was just having drinks with some friends, but I can come get you."

 _"What?"_

"I can be there in twenty, okay?" Jamie advised.

 _"What are you trying to get yourself out of -"_

Jamie cut him off and began to get back off his chair. "All right, Danny, see you later," he said right before disconnecting the call despite Danny's continued attempts to question him.

"What's up, Reagan?" Vinny asked, suspicious of his partner once again.

"That was Danny. He broke down on the BQE and Linda's working tonight, so he needs a ride," he explained, doing his best to act disappointed.

Vinny arched a brow at his partner. "Oh, yeah?" he said with a hint of doubt, but he guessed he couldn't blame the guy. He knew as soon as Julia opened her mouth that she wouldn't gel with Jamie.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry, man," he told Vinny before turning to the blonde. "Julia, it was a pleasure. I'm sorry that I have to leave so early," he apologized.

"That's a shame," Julia said. She appeared to be put off by his sudden departure.

Jamie gave her a tight smile before nodding at his partner. "I'll see you, tomorrow, man."

"All right, I guess," Vinny returned.

Jamie was headed out of the bar as he texted his brother once again.

 _Ur a life saver. Owe you one_

He was just about to make his way through the door when a female voice stopped him.

"Hey, why are you leaving so soon?"

Jamie turned around to find Eddie behind him, hugging a serving tray to her chest.

"Yeah, well, I had something come up," he said as he pointed to the door.

Eddie slid a lock of her long blonde hair behind her ear. "Listen, I'm sorry about the whole thing with the wine and your girlfriend," she apologized, a mix between guilt and mischief evident in her expression.

Jamie's eyes widened in slight horror and he shook his head adamantly. "Oh, her? No, she's not my girlfriend, not even a friend. Barely an acquaintance, really," he explained. "And I think she had it coming, so no apologies. That was actually pretty amusing," he shared, smiling shyly at the friendly blonde.

Eddie's blue eyes twinkled. "Okay, well, maybe I'll see you around?" she asked, her voice hopeful.

Jamie nodded. "Sounds good. Until then," he said, but lingered there with her. He couldn't understand why his feet remained glued to the floor.

Eddie nodded, biting her bottom lip to contain the smile on her face.

Suddenly, Jamie felt another pair of eyes on him. He looked over Eddie's shoulder and found Vinny staring back with a knowing smile as the two women at the table carried a conversation. That reminded him that he needed to get out of there and he looked back down at Eddie. "I'll see ya," he said with one last smile and went on his way.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you for all of your reviews. The last chapter was fun to write and the last resemblance to the movie 'Return to Me.'_

Chapter 4

Halfway through a Friday swing tour, Jamie sat in the driver's seat of the RMP filling out a report after he and Vinny had provided back up to a call of shots fired at the scene of a robbery.

Vinny sat next to him, doing the same thing when he paused and glanced over at his partner. "Hey, so about last night," Vinny started as he tapped his pen against his memo book.

"Yeah? What about it?" Jamie asked as he kept scribbling away on his form.

Vinny sighed. "First off, sorry about Julia. Carli said she had a friend so...I guess I just figured she'd be more down to earth like Carli. I may have to question her choice of friends," he explained. He had high hopes for the evening, but wasn't surprised at how it ended and didn't blame his partner for it. The woman had been a bit much to take even after Jamie had left the bar. He just hoped it wouldn't keep him from trying to get back out there.

"She's dating you, isn't she?" Jamie snarked and turned to smirk at Vinny.

Vinny chuckled. "You got a point there, partner."

Jamie went back to his paperwork, but a smile remained on his face. "Don't worry about it."

Vinny turned in his seat and ignored his work. "Alright, so now that that's out of the way...Your brother's car didn't really break down, did it?"

Jamie focused extra hard on the report he was completing and said nothing.

"I knew it!" Vinny proclaimed while shaking his head. "But I don't blame you, man."

Jamie chuckled but didn't offer anything else about the evening, so Vinny forged on.

"The waitress, though..."

Jamie's head snapped up. "You mean Eddie? She said she was a cadet," he corrected.

"Yeah, her. I don't know, man. She seemed to be into you. And call me crazy, but vice versa, partner." Vinny grinned at him.

"What? I think you're starting to see things, man," Jamie asked with a hint of doubt.

"Yeah, man," Vinny said. "Come on, Reagan. You two had a little back and forth going there before drink orders went in. There was a vibe. And I caught you talking to her when you were leaving," he explained.

Jamie dropped his pen and turned in his seat. "That was nothing," Jamie tried assuring him.

"She was cute," Vinny stated.

Jamie said nothing but pursed his lips and looked away when a smile threatened to grow on his face.

"Ahh, see, you think so, too!" Vinny accused and pointed a finger in his partner's direction. He couldn't hold back the laugh that burst out of his mouth right after.

Jamie shrugged. "She was nice looking," he whispered.

"What was that? I didn't quite hear you?" Vinny asked as he cupped a hand around his ear, leaning towards Jamie.

Jamie sighed heavily. "Yes, she was cute," he agreed.

Vinny laughed. "See!"

Jamie frowned. "See what, man? I met her once. I'll probably never see her again."

Vinny slapped Jamie in the chest with the back of his hand. "What do you mean? We know where she spends her days and she all but said she's a regular at Rick's," he pointed out.

Jamie had not forgotten those facts, he just didn't know what to do with them and chose to play dumb. Jumping back into this dating scene was making him a little crazy. Putting aside his emotions about moving past Sydney, dating made him feel like a stupid teenager all over again - he was unsure about how to act or what to say to a woman. It was one of the things he'd gladly thought he'd never have to deal with again when he got married. And now? Here he was sitting in the RMP arguing with his partner on whether he liked the cute girl at the bar. "So?" he shrugged.

"So? You going to ask her out?" Vinny asked, expecting to hear a 'yes' from his partner.

"I'd have to run into her again to do that," Jamie stated.

"Don't be so dense, Reagan," Vinny huffed.

Jamie sighed and picked his pen back up. "We'll see."

"Just give it a shot, that's all I ask."

Jamie raised a brow at Vinny. "Really? That's all?" he responded knowing full well that Vinny Cruz would not back down so easily.

* * *

The dining room was quiet except for the repeated clinking of cutlery hitting plates. The Reagans were enjoying their dinner in a rare, but comfortable silence.

Until Danny Reagan decided to fill the void. He looked across the table at his brother, swallowing his food before addressing him. "So what was the deal the other night, kid?" he asked.

Jamie's head snapped up from his dinner. "What?" he asked around a mouthful of potatoes.

"The call," Danny clarified as he went back to stabbing a green bean on his plate.

Linda looked from her husband to her brother-in-law. "What call?" she asked.

Danny aimed his knife at Jamie. "Harvard over here texts me to call him in ten minutes and when I do he's having this whole different conversation about coming to pick me up," he explained to the rest of the family. "What were you trying to get out of?" he asked curiously. "It was noisy, wherever you were too."

Jamie shook his head and went back to his food. "Nothing," he said.

"That was not nothing, kid," Danny argued.

Jamie sighed and dropped his fork. He might as well come clean or the third degree would continue with the whole family joining in. "Vinny set me up," he confessed.

"Set you up?" Henry asked, not quite understanding.

Erin's eyes lit up. "Like on a date?"

Jamie nodded and fiddled with his fork.

"Oh, yeah?" Frank asked and sat back in his chair, pleased to hear that Jamie was venturing out. "With whom?"

Jamie shook his head and kept eating. "No one worth mentioning," he mumbled.

"That bad?" Nicky asked with a grimace.

Jamie eyed his niece. "It was bad," he confirmed.

Erin wiped her mouth and leaned forward to get her little brother's attention. "Well, there's this new attorney at -"

Jamie dropped his utensils with a clatter. "No! No set ups!" he ordered.

"Why not?" Erin asked, feeling a little hurt that he wouldn't give her a chance to set him up, but had allowed his partner to do it.

Jamie leaned forward to meet her eyes. "Why not? 'Cause of the other night, that's why not," he pointed out.

Danny smirked. "Sounds like you're exaggerating, kid."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Linda added.

"Oh, yeah? Maybe that's why Vin apologized the next day. You all want me to meet someone, fine, but no set ups," he instructed, eyeing each and every one of them to stress his point.

"So then how are you going to meet someone?" Henry inquired next to him.

"Here we go," Jamie sighed. "Do we really have to talk about this?" he asked and looked at the other end of the table for some help from the one person he thought could provide assistance. "Dad?"

"What?" Frank replied innocently.

"A little help?" Jamie begged.

Frank smirked. He was glad Jamie was opening himself up to dating again and was equally curious about the answer to his father's question. "Answer the question and they'll leave you alone," Frank suggested, thinking that a little push off the ledge was just what his youngest needed.

Jamie rolled his eyes. "I haven't figured that part out yet," Jamie sighed in annoyance.

"Then you'll love Janie," Erin assured him. "She's a third year lawyer, Penn Law graduate, really cute and friendly," she gushed.

Jamie hid his face in his hands and groaned.

"Only one way to get her off your back, son," Frank said as he traded smiles with his daughter.

"Great. Thanks. Lotta help you are," Jamie grumbled sending his father the evil eye.

* * *

 _You know that if Vinny got a chance to set him up, someone in the family would jump at the chance also. :)_

 _Trying for daily updates from here on out._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jamie sat at the far end of the bar nursing a beer and grateful the night would soon come to an end. It had been a long, painful evening and, for once, he was certain it wasn't his doing. Halfway through his bottle, he decided to take one last swig. He was ready to head home until he suddenly had company.

"Hey, you're back!" Eddie said as she filled the empty stool next to Jamie.

Jamie's face brightened as he brought his bottle down onto the bar top, turning to greet the blonde. "Oh, hey, Eddie."

Eddie squinted as she gave him a once over. "What's with the suit?"

Jamie looked down at himself, hoping that the dim lighting in the bar hid the blush rising on his face. "Uh, nothing," he said.

Eddie didn't believe him. "Nothing, huh? This how you dress after a long tour?" she asked and took a sip from her glass.

Jamie smirked and focused on his beer. "No, I'm more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy," he said. He only wore the suit because of where he had to go earlier in the evening. He'd been hoping for something semi-casual, but somehow had been given instructions to show up at a fancy restaurant where the over-priced food only came in tiny, child-size portions.

"Hot date?" she inquired as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Jamie's eyes widened for a second before turning to her. "That was supposed to be the plan," he confirmed.

Eddie grimaced sympathetically. "Didn't work out that way?"

"No, not really," Jamie said with a quick shake of his head. "She was more interested in getting the scoop on my sister." He'd gone into this date with a positive attitude and an open mind and had even ignored the fact that they were one letter away from sharing first names. He also appreciated that the attorney thing would give them something in common right off the bat.

So much for that. He didn't think he'd ever go on a date with a woman and have her be more interested in hearing about his sister and her stellar law career than him. As a new member of the DA's office, Janie seemed to want information on Erin and the inner workings of their office, which he assured her - twice - that he had no knowledge of. She couldn't stop talking about it no matter how many times he tried shifting the conversation. Thinking back, he realized that she had probably been taking mental notes at the beginning of the date when he'd innocently answered a few questions about his sister. Once he was clear on the theme of the evening, he'd shut down, politely feigning ignorance about Erin's career.

Eddie's eyes widened and a grin appeared on her face. "Sounds kinky," she commented.

A laugh erupted from Jamie's mouth, surprised and delighted by Eddie's sense of humor. "No, not like that. She works with my sister at the DA's office," he explained. "She was more interested in finding ways to impress my sister, Erin, and get noticed at the office, than getting to know me." That explained Erin's call a few days before to let him know how excited Janie was to meet him.

"Too bad," Eddie replied. "Guess you didn't pick up on that vibe when you asked her out," she assumed as she turned in her stool and leaned against the bar.

"I didn't ask her out," Jamie corrected.

"She asked you?"

Jamie shook his head.

Eddie gave him a pained expression. "A set up?"

"Yeah," admitted.

"You don't strike me as the type of guy that needs to be set up," Eddie commented and considered him for a moment. Jamie was a really good-looking guy and he didn't seem like a jerk - another reason that his date the other night with the French wine snob was baffling. That date seemed like a set up too, now that she thought about it. Her brow creased as she wondered what his deal was.

"I'm not - at least I don't think I am. Although, everyone else seems to think I am," Jamie explained as he turned his bottle between his hands.

"Why's that?" she asked, taking in his almost guarded demeanor.

Jamie looked down at his drink, not sure of how to respond.

Definitely guarded, Eddie thought. "Sorry, none of my business. I often get accused of being too nosey," Eddie apologized.

Jamie turned to face her. "No, don't worry. Just not sure how to answer," he said, his lips forming a tight line.

Eddie's eyebrows crinkled, seeking an explanation.

"I haven't really dated anyone in a while," Jamie confessed, unsure about why he was discussing this with someone he barely knew.

Understanding flashed across Eddie's face. "Bad break up?" she guessed.

"No," Jamie replied, hoping to hide his discomfort with another pull from his bottle. He always found it difficult to talk about Sydney. It brought up painful memories for him and seemed to make some people uncomfortable, so he usually avoided the topic when he could.

"Then what? You taking an oath of celibacy?" Eddie joked, smirking in his direction.

Jamie knew - or at least he hoped - that she was kidding, but still couldn't stop the frown that flashed across his face. "No," he repeated more sharply than necessary. Eddie didn't seem to want to lay off, but Jamie also didn't want to bring himself or her down. Although considering how the night began, he figured it probably couldn't get any worse.

Eddie narrowed her eyes. "Well, now I'm curious. Come on, Jamie, spill or I'll keep guessing - she just wasn't that into you and broke your heart?"

Jamie shook his head, staring at his hands. "My wife died a while back," he said just loud enough for her to hear.

Eddie's eyes widened, suddenly feeling like she wanted to crawl into a hole after pushing for an answer. She was stunned into silence for a few moments before she found her voice again. "I'm so sorry," she squeaked. "I may need a minute while I try to pull my foot out of my mouth." She was expecting anything but that.

Jamie smiled sadly. "Don't worry. It's not something you would have expected to hear, I guess."

Eddie had never felt worse than she did at that moment. "No, I guess not," she agreed. "I'm really sorry for your loss."

"Thanks," Jamie replied with a quick glance back.

They were both quiet until Eddie's curiosity got the best of her again.

"What happened?" she asked gently.

Jamie took a deep breath before he replied. "Car accident," he admitted as he met her blue eyes again. "Sydney, my wife, was an attorney. We took a car service to this Bar event and got hit by a drunk driver on the way there. She died a few days later," he shared.

Eddie looked away. "Jesus, Jamie. I'm so sorry."

Jamie pressed his lips together and subconsciously rubbed at the long scar that ran across the top of his right hand - the only remaining visible scar from the accident. He knew Eddie was being sincere and he appreciated that, but what else was there to say? Jamie wondered if there would ever come a day where he wouldn't feel like running away at the mention of that horrible night.

"So let me guess, now everyone's after you to get out there?" she surmised, her voice gentle.

"Pretty much," he nodded.

"You ready for that?" she asked softly.

Jamie shrugged and glanced at her. "I guess. It's coming up on two years, but it's just...weird," he admitted.

"I can understand that." Eddie played with her own glass before looking back at Jamie. "So an attorney and a cop, huh?"

"Yeah," Jamie smiled. "We went to law school together," he revealed.

Eddie's head snapped back in surprise. "Wait, you went to law school?"

"Yeah, Syd and I graduated together from Harvard Law."

Eddie laughed and playfully smacked his arm. "Yeah, and I graduated from Yale."

Jamie looked back at her with a half smirk, but said nothing.

That was when Eddie realized he wasn't lying. "Oh, you're serious?"

"Yeah," Jamie confirmed.

Eddie was surprised. "Harvard attorney turned NYPD cop? How did that happen?" she asked.

"Family business," he said, as if Eddie would have known what he was talking about.

Eddie gave him a questioning look.

"I come from a long line of cops - grandfather, father, brothers. I always wanted to be one, I guess. My mom, however, wanted to keep me out of it and I followed my sister into law, but some stuff happened and I knew it wasn't for me."

"How'd she take the change - your mom I mean?" Eddie asked.

"She'd already passed by the time I made the switch," Jamie told her.

Eddie deflated a bit and mentally slapped herself. "Wow, sorry. I'm batting a thousand tonight, huh?" she said, thinking that she needed to quit hitting the wrong topics. "So how are the Jets shaping up this off season?" she asked lightly.

Jamie chuckled. "You really are on a roll, Eddie."

Eddie blushed and she laughed in return. "So you graduated from Harvard Law? Bet you graduated top of your class at the academy, too," she guessed.

Jamie smiled back.

"I knew it!" she declared.

"How's the academy going for you, by the way?" Jamie asked.

"Good. A lot of work and studying. I kind of figured I'd be done with the books after college, but here I am, back again with cramming for tests. And let's not forget all of the training."

"You ever need a study partner, just say the word," Jamie offered before he even realized what he was saying.

"Yeah?" Eddie asked hopefully.

"Sure," Jamie confirmed. The look on Eddie's face and the prospect of hanging out with her some more made his stomach flutter - or maybe he was just queasy? Jamie wasn't sure.

"I may take you up on that," Eddie replied.

"Hey, Reagan, you need another one?" the bartender asked.

Jamie looked in his direction. "Yeah, Rick, I'll take another," he replied before turning to Eddie, his urge to head home now gone. "You want another?" he asked her while motioning to her glass.

"Sure," Eddie said, secretly pleased that they were having another round. She'd learned a lot about Jamie so far, and while some of it was tragic, she had a feeling there was more to learn.

"Make it two," Jamie ordered as the bartender walked away to ready their drinks.

"Reagan?" Eddie asked suspiciously.

"Yeah," Jamie answered.

Eddie's eyes widened, understanding spreading across her face as she finally took in his previous words. "As in 'Commissioner Reagan' Reagan?"

"That's my dad." Jamie nodded.

"Woah."

Jamie's eyes narrowed. "Something wrong?"

"Wrong? No. Just a surprise," she clarified. "So what's it like being a cop when your dad's commissioner?"

"Like being a cop when your dad's not."

"Really?" she asked doubtfully.

Jamie nodded. "My dad is not about special treatment, especially with his kids. No one's cutting me any slack out there, I promise you."

"Interesting," Eddie replied as she eyed him again.

Jamie shrugged and glanced back at her. "I guess."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Vinny placed his last report in his CO's inbox and followed his partner to the locker room. "So a couple of the guys are getting a basketball game together. You in?" he asked.

Jamie was reaching up to loosen his tie as he stepped over the threshold into the locker room. "Nah, not tonight," he answered over his shoulder.

"Why not? You got plans?" Vinny inquired and copied his partner as he began to remove his duty belt.

"Yeah, I told Eddie I'd help her study for one of her courses," he explained.

Vinny smiled to himself as he reached to open his locker. "Really?" he asked with a short laugh.

"Yeah," Jamie replied and narrowed his eyes at his partner. "What's with the face?"

Vinny turned serious. "What face?" he asked, trying to feign innocence.

Jamie took a seat on the bench in front of their lockers as he unbuttoned his uniform shirt. "The creepy, know-it-all, smug smile you had plastered on your face a second ago."

Vinny shook his head and went about removing his own uniform. "Nothing."

"Uhuh," Jamie replied with a shake of his own head.

"But I told you so," Vinny sing-songed.

"Told me what?" Jamie asked. He knew what was coming but really didn't want to hear it.

"You and Eddie. I knew you liked her. She's cute," Vinny said.

Jamie sighed heavily. "So you've said. Multiple times. And there is no me and Eddie. I just met her a minute ago, man," he said with bit of annoyance.

"Yeah. So studying, huh?" Vinny answered, wiggling his brows and laughing at the expression he got back from Jamie.

Jamie frowned, wondering how studying warranted the response he was getting from his partner. "It's not like that," he retorted as he proceeded to remove his boots.

"Sure it's not," Vinny replied.

"Oh, for Christ's sake. You're as bad as my family. She's a friend, that's all," he declared.

Vinny stopped and turned to Jamie, leaning against the open locker door. "A friend? That's how it starts," he said.

"What starts?"

"Don't play dumb, Reagan," Vinny chided.

Jamie sat up. "She's busy with the academy. And she's not interested," Jamie explained.

Vinny raised an eyebrow at him. "How do you know?" he asked.

"I know. I can tell. We've talked about work and the academy," he offered, but didn't admit to Vinny that he'd also told her a little bit about Sydney.

"Get your head out of the sand, Reagan. She's seems pretty cool - so she's not gonna play all her cards right away, but she's definitely interested," he said as a matter-of-factly and went back to changing his clothes.

Jamie shook his head and rolled his eyes, dismissing him, but his partner's words echoed in his head. Eddie had been very friendly so far, but he tried not to read too much into that out of fear that he'd make something out of nothing. As for whether there was any interest on his part? Well, the fact that he didn't negate Vinny's declaration that he did like her probably spoke volumes. For now, he was just glad that Vinny had let the matter drop.

* * *

Jamie smirked as he took in his surroundings, silently questioning Eddie's choice of study venue. They were sitting in the middle of Anton's BBQ in Hell's Kitchen on a busy Tuesday night. It was your typical barbecue joint, playing up the rustic, southern vibe with its exposed brick walls and reclaimed hardwood floors. Aside from the white noise coming from the crowds filling the other tables, the restaurant had country music blasting in the background as further proof of its southern roots. And he couldn't get over the number of neon signs decorating the place that gave everything and everyone an unflattering orangey-red hue.

Jamie looked back at his companion with some amusement on his face. "When I agreed to help you study, I didn't think it would be in the middle of a barbecue joint," he commented as he stowed the plastic-covered menu at the end of the table.

"What's the big deal?" Eddie shot back as she dropped her own menu. The waitress had already come and gone, rushing off to another table as soon as they gave her their orders.

Jamie folded his hands on the table and leaned forward to make sure she could hear him over the music. "Usually, when people study, they want some peace and quiet. You know, so you can hear yourself think?" he pointed out.

Eddie gave him knowing look. "First of all, quiet is overrated. And second, I can't study on an empty stomach," she stated. "I had a long day at the academy."

A slow smile spread across Jamie's face. "So ribs are study food?"

Eddie smiled back and nodded enthusiastically. "Sure. What better food group is there? The grease helps everything stick," she claimed.

Jamie couldn't help but laugh. "Figured it would have the opposite effect, but all right," he said. "What are we studying, anyway?"

Eddie rummaged inside of her large messenger bag and pulled out a book, letting it fall onto the table with a loud thump that was easily felt and clearly audible over the raucous that surrounded them. "Something you should have no trouble with after three years of law school and three years on the force: New York Penal Code," she said as she pointed at the soft cover.

"That's easy," Jamie replied as he grabbed the book and began leafing through it.

"For you, maybe. You did something before the academy that actually came in handy for your career in law enforcement," she pointed out.

"Trust me, it's a piece of cake," he assured her. "You just have to get them sorted in your head. And when you get out on the beat, you'll usually be using the same ones over and over."

"Can't wait. Then I'll really have the books behind me," she said.

Jamie closed the book and looked at Eddie curiously. "What were you up to before you joined the academy?"

"Floundering?" she offered with a slight look of embarrassment. "And bartending," she added. "I took a few years off after college."

"That's why Rick roped you into helping out the other night?" Jamie asked.

"He was desperate. Plus, I got mad skills behind the bar, Reagan," she bragged.

Jamie smiled in return. "I'm sure. Master mixologist to cop? How'd that happen?" he asked.

"The truth?" she offered.

"Yeah, of course," he answered, his curiosity now piqued.

"I got daddy issues," she quipped.

Jamie's face scrunched up in confusion. It was obvious that she was trying to use humor to mask something far more serious. "Come again?"

Eddie took a deep breath and began to fidget. Feeling the need to occupy her hands, she pulled the book from Jamie and thumbed through the pages. "My dad's doing time at Lincoln Correctional," she revealed with some hesitation.

"Oh, sorry to hear that," Jamie replied. It seemed that the tables were turned from the other night - this wasn't what he expected to hear and he could immediately tell that it was a sore subject.

Eddie nodded, her eyes dropping to the table as she explained. "He got caught running a Ponzi scheme. Ruined a lot of people," she said sadly.

"I'm sorry, Eddie," Jamie said.

Eddie didn't know how to respond to the sympathy she saw in Jamie's eyes and was grateful for the waitress's sudden appearance to break the awkward silence. But much to Eddie's displeasure, the waitress simply placed their drinks on the table and scurried off again. So Eddie said what flashed across her mind when she considered why she wanted to be a cop. "I don't know if this makes any sense, but I wanted to be the complete opposite of him," she explained. Eddie shrugged as she took a long pull from her bottle.

Jamie nodded. "I get it," he replied. "So you don't see him?"

Eddie frowned at his question. "Hell, no. He ruined my family and betrayed our trust. Although, even that doesn't stop him from sending me letters, but I have no interest," she confessed.

"He's your father, Eddie," Jamie reminded her.

"Yeah, unfortunately," Eddie scoffed. She gazed at Jamie and thought that there was no way he would understand. "He broke-up my family, Reagan. We can't all have the perfect family like you," she argued.

"Believe me, we're far from perfect," he countered.

Eddie raised a brow in his direction. "Really? Police commissioner father and grandfather. Cop brothers and an ADA sister? How much more perfect could a family get?"

"Everything looks perfect from the outside looking in, but we have our moments, too."

"Sure you do," Eddie said, looking eager to change the subject. "So, you gonna help me with this or not? 'Cause I have a hard ass instructor and if I don't pass this course, I'll end up at Rick's tending bar full time."

"And you'll probably blame me and throw something extra in my drinks every time I show up there," he joked.

"Only until I got over it," she joked back.

Jamie narrowed his eyes at his companion. "For some reason, I have a feeling that would take a while," he grumbled.

Eddie smiled back at him brightly, causing Jamie's stomach to flutter slightly. He blinked quickly at the strangely familiar sensation and nervously busied himself with Eddie's book.

"Okay, so how about we start with Class A Misdemeanors," he proposed.

"Sounds great."

Jamie looked up to see Eddie, still smiling widely at him and the fluttering continued. Yeah, he definitely felt something. The question was whether there was any interest in return.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was still early and patrons were just starting to filter into Rick's for happy hour. Jamie and Vinny had headed to their usual after-tour watering hole to decompress after the day they'd had. Jamie picked at the food on his plate before glancing at his partner and figured it was probably a good time to talk, before the place filled up and he'd have to shout his apology over the usual garbled bar noise.

"Listen, Vin, I'm sorry about leaving you out there. I know I could have really jammed you up and I know you tried to cover my ass with the CO," he apologized.

Vinny brought his bottle down and gave Jamie a tight smile. "No biggie, man. And it's not like I'm the one that ended up with the three day suspension," he responded.

"Yeah," Jamie sighed. "Still appreciate it though," he replied. He didn't know what had come over him, but after his grandfather got mugged in the bank and it was confirmed that it was some jackass targeting elderly people, he got angry and he was determined to find the son of a bitch. Jamie usually wasn't the one to go off on personal vendettas - that was normally Danny's thing. Although, he did get him in the end. "And still sorry," he added, but only for leaving Vinny in the lurch.

Vinny reached over for a fry off of Jamie's plate and popped it into his mouth. "Just remember what you told me once," he said.

"What's that?"

Vinny eyed his partner, just like Jamie had done to him not long after they started working together. "Check with me first next time. That's what partners do, right?" he reminded him.

Jamie held up his bottle and knocked it against Vinny's. "Right," Jamie said, relieved there were no hard feelings on Vinny's part.

"Plus, you'll be buying rounds for the near future," Vinny added smugly.

Jamie let out a short laugh. "I guess I can't argue with that," he confirmed.

Eddie snuck up on the two officers, curious about Vinny's claim. "Did I just hear that Reagan's buying?"

"Hey!" Jamie greeted, his face brightening after the gloom that had surrounded him all afternoon.

Vinny smiled at blonde, noticing his partner's spirits lifting upon her appearance. "Hey, Eddie, and yes, Reagan here is buying rounds until the end of the night and at least for the next few days to boot," he informed her.

Jamie frowned at his partner's declaration. "You do realize I won't be getting paid the next three days, right?" he asked.

Eddie grabbed the seat next to Jamie and dropped herself into it. "Why not?"

"Harvard here got himself suspended," Vinny announced.

Eddie's eye's widened in surprise. "Seriously?!"

"Not that bad," Jamie said with a shake of his head.

"It's three days," Vinny confirmed before taking another drink.

Eddie crossed her arms and wondered about what the PC's kid could have done to get himself suspended. "What'd you do? Beat up a perp or something?"

"I wish," Jamie mumbled.

"What was that?" Eddie asked.

Vinny, however, heard him and chuckled.

"Nothing," Jamie said.

Vinny laughed some more before glancing at his watch. "Damn it! I gotta bail. Meeting Carli for dinner," he announced. "I'll catch up with you tomorrow, partner. You two kids have fun," he sang with an assuming smirk before walking away.

"What's his deal?" Eddie asked with a frown.

Jamie narrowed his eyes at his retreating partner. "Ignore him, he's a clown," he told her.

"Okay," Eddie responded with a shrug. "So? What'd you do so I know not to do it myself," she asked again, smiling.

Jamie sighed heavily. "I took off after a perp," he said as a matter-of-factly.

Eddie gave him a doubtful look. "That's it? Where you supposed to just let him go or something?"

"I kind of took off and left Vinny hanging, he didn't know where I took off to...," he started with a slight expression of remorse.

"And?" she prompted.

"And I may have been radio silent for twenty minutes or so while they tried to raise me," he confessed.

Eddie pursed her lips and studied him for a minute while Jamie went back to absentmindedly munching on his food. "That does not sound good," she said.

"No, it doesn't," Jamie replied.

"Why would you do that?" she wondered.

Jamie pushed his plate away and sat back in his chair. "This guy was out there mugging old people at ATMs," he explained.

Eddie pulled the discarded plate closer to her and snatched a french fry. "Sounds like a real ass, but what am I missing? There's gotta be more to this."

"He jumped my grandfather in the city; cold cocked him with a gun," Jamie went on to explain.

"Oh. Well, that explains a lot," Eddie responded and nodded in understanding.

"I shouldn't have left Vinny like that," Jamie said, self-recrimination evident in his tone. "I'm glad he didn't get jammed up, but if I had it all over to do again, I don't think I would have done anything different."

"Did you at least catch the guy?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah," Jamie said proudly.

Eddie smiled. "Well, that's good. One less scumbag on the streets. So three days, huh?"

"Three days."

"Sounds rough. I guess you were right," she said.

Jamie looked at her in confusion. "About?"

"You really don't get special treatment for being the PC's son," she stated.

"I told you that already," he stated.

"Yeah, well, you kind of just assume people are going to treat you a little differently because of who your father is. I mean, there's gotta be someone out there above you who's looking to shine a little brighter in your father's eyes too, no?" she explained.

Jamie shook his head adamantly. "It wouldn't work. He sees through all of that."

"So I've heard. So what are you going to do by your lonesome self for three whole days?" she asked with a curve of her lips.

* * *

"You're a...freaking sadist!" Eddie panted at Jamie's back as she came to a stop to one side of the Hudson River Greenway, out of breath and sweaty.

It had been Jamie's idea to work on some of the physical training she was undergoing at the academy. He had insisted it should start with a run to assess and improve her physical endurance. Unfortunately for her, he was an avid runner, a ruthless dictator when he wanted to be - as evidenced by the orders he barked at her over his shoulder - and he chose what was going to be one of the hottest days of the year to do it. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the mid morning sun was shining brightly and there wasn't even a breeze to mercifully cool her overheated body.

Jamie turned back and circled around her in a slow jog where she stood hunched over with her hands braced on her knees. "Come on! We still have a mile to go!" he ordered, barely winded.

"I can't," Eddie gasped in between breaths as she brought the hem of her t-shirt up to wipe her sweaty face, exposing her bare abdomen.

Jamie couldn't help but stare at the unexpected flash of skin and came to a sudden stop in front of her, shaking his head to force some rather indecent thoughts out of his head before Eddie looked back up at him. "Yeah, you can," he replied once he refocused on their goal for the day. "You gotta be able to keep up with the perps when they're running. And they will run, I promise you. The only way you'll keep up is to build endurance," he advised.

"I'll have my partner chase after them. I'll stay with the air-conditioned car," Eddie cracked, stepping over to the railing and leaning against it in exhaustion. "Better yet! I'll chase them in the air-conditioned car!"

"Good luck with that when you're a rookie and you got a ruthless TO on your ass," he argued. "Come on, cadet! Hustle!" he shouted as he took off in a slow jog again.

"I hate him," she muttered to herself and took a deep breath before running after Jamie.

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting on a park bench, protected from the sun by the shade of a large maple tree right in front of the Hudson with cold bottles of water in their hands. They stared across the river at the New Jersey skyline in a comfortable silence as they let their heart rates slow to a normal pace.

"I asked for your help with the books, not this," Eddie complained. Her cheeks were bright pink and her hairline was matted down with perspiration. She stared off into the distance while she sat slumped low in her seat, her head resting against the back of the dark green park bench.

Jamie was hunched forward, his bottle dangling from one hand between his knees. "This part's just as important. Gotta stay in shape for when you're dodging bullets."

"What are the chances of that?" Eddie asked doubtfully.

Jamie turned his head to face her. "You got to be prepared," he said with a serious tone.

Eddie met his eyes. "You ever fire your weapon?"

Jamie sat back and looked down at his bottle, absentmindedly picking at the label. "Yeah, a few times," he confirmed.

That had Eddie sitting up. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Eddie's brows arched. "Ever hit anyone?"

Jamie faced her once again. "Two. One was trying to kidnap this woman I was assigned to protect and I got him in the shoulder," he explained.

"And the other?"

Jamie sighed at how fresh that memory was in his head. "This guy in Washington Square Park. He drew on me, then he aimed his gun at a bunch of kids, so I fired. Hit him center mass," he revealed quickly.

"Did he survive?" Eddie asked, but by the expression on his face, she figured she already knew the answer to that question.

Jamie shook his head, avoiding her eyes.

Eddie looked away as she contemplated that fact. "Wow," she said. "That's sucks, but sounds like you protected those kids."

Jamie shrugged, not able to reply at first. "Yeah. Wasn't that long ago either," he added quietly.

"How'd you handle it?" she asked softly, not wanting to push too hard.

Jamie looked out across the river as he thought about that. "At first, I questioned everything I did; whether I could have done something differently, talked him down somehow, you know? I felt so guilty. By all accounts, he was a really good guy with a wife and kids."

"And now?"

"I still feel badly about it, I mean a life's a life, you know?" he said as he turned to look back at her.

Eddie nodded.

"But it turned out that he wanted to commit suicide and called 911 on himself to do it. He couldn't live with himself anymore because of something he'd done in the past," he explained.

"So it could have been any cop that did it for him, you just got the luck of the draw," she said.

"Yup." _Some luck_ , Jamie thought. He didn't know what else to say. He still had nightmares about the incident: he'd see Gavin Bryant stumbling around the park with one hand hidden inside his coat pocket; he'd feel his heart hammering away in his chest when Bryant drew on him - and that would happen over and over again - until he'd turn the gun on the fleeing school kids. And it would end just like it ended in real life - with him firing twice and hitting him square in the chest.

Jamie could only pray the nightmares would pass with time.

Eddie knew it was a possibility, but she still hoped that she would never find herself in a situation where she would have to shoot someone. They drilled it into them everyday - the awesome responsibility it was be to be an armed, well-trained member of the New York City Police Department. But until she heard Jamie just now, it didn't quite sink in how tremendous and life-altering that responsibility actually was.

"I can't imagine. I know we're gonna be out there carrying guns, but I can't imagine shooting someone. I mean, all we're shooting at right now are paper targets," Eddie said in awe.

"Five percent."

"Huh?" Eddie asked in confusion.

"Something my dad said after my incident. 'Only five percent of cops fire their weapons during their careers'," he clarified. "You just go with your gut."

"How many of the five percent end up killing someone?" Eddie inquired, her voice soft.

Jamie let himself smile a little as he remembered his conversation with Danny and his father after the case.

 _"...if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."_

"Ten percent," he informed, looking back at her.

Her blue eyes shimmered back at him as she spoke the words he'd once said too, "Ten percent of the five percent."

Jamie nodded in confirmation and for a moment, they just sat there, reveling in the weight of his words until Eddie was the first to break the silence.

"My gut's telling me I need a burger," she said and dropped her head onto Jamie's shoulder with a sigh. "And a nap."

Jamie stared straight ahead, smiling at the warmth he felt against his shoulder.

* * *

 _One of my favorite chapters up next - male bonding between three generations of Reagan men...and possibly some dating advice from Henry._


	8. Chapter 8

_Here it is...my favorite part of a story when I can get it in - some Reagan male bonding. :)_

Chapter 8

Jamie sighed as he sat back against the soft cushions of his father's living room couch while simultaneously bringing his feet up onto the coffee table. He'd joined his father and grandfather after tour for a home cooked meal and some Thursday night football on TV. Since Sydney had passed, Jamie would pay regular visits to his father's house during the week, often several times per week; to both catch up with the older Reagan men and to escape his quiet, desolate apartment, but Thursday night football with the two older Reagan men had been a long-standing tradition, ever since he'd graduated law school and had moved back to New York.

"Oh, what a pass!" Henry cheered. "I think they're actually gonna win this one," he threw over his shoulder at Jamie and Frank.

Jamie smiled at his grandfather's enthusiasm. "Don't get too excited, gramps. It's only the preseason," he reminded him from his reclined position.

"Maybe they'll carry a winning streak into the season," Henry said hopefully.

Frank sat in his usual armchair and sipped his scotch as he split his attention between the game and the newspaper in his hand. He eventually glanced at his son, taking in the relaxed expression he wore on his face. "So what have you been up to lately, Jamie?"

"Nothing much," Jamie responded automatically while his eyes remained glued to the television.

Henry turned to glance at his grandson. "Nothing, huh?" he asked doubtfully.

"Yeah," Jamie replied. He finally tore his eyes away from the screen when both older men stayed quiet, doing a double take when he found them both staring back at him. "What?" he asked worriedly.

Frank shook his head. "Nothing. We just haven't been seeing you as much during the past several weeks," he explained.

"Oh," Jamie responded as he realized that he had been hanging out less at his dad's lately. "Uh, well, there's work and I've also been helping a friend out," Jamie shrugged.

"Yeah?" Henry asked, hope creeping back into his voice.

"Who and with what?" Frank followed-up quickly as he placed the paper on his lap, more curious about his son's doings.

Jamie laughed nervously and gave each man a look. "What's with the third degree?" he asked.

"We're just wondering what's keeping you busy these days," Henry said as he redirected his attention to the screen for the next play.

Jamie did the same as the Jets got the ball moving down the field. "I have a friend who's going through the academy and I've been helping them out with studying and what not," he revealed nonchalantly.

Frank brought his feet up onto an ottoman and made himself more comfortable. "What's _their_ name?"

"Eddie," Jamie answered, making an attempt to sound casual. It would do him no good to beat around the bush with these two.

"Eddie?" Frank echoed, trying to recall if he'd ever heard the name mentioned in the past.

"Yeah," Jamie confirmed with a nod.

"Oh," Henry said, disappointment clearly evident in his tone and body language as he slumped in his chair.

The two older men gave each other a look that did not go unnoticed by the youngest Reagan.

"What was that?" Jamie asked as he looked from his father to his grandfather.

"What was what?" Frank replied innocently as he met Jamie's eyes.

"The look you two just gave each other," Jamie said and pointed a finger at them accusingly.

Henry shook his head and sighed. "Nothing. We kinda hoped it might be a girl," he confessed.

Jamie let his head fall onto the back cushion with a heavy put upon sigh. "Here we go," he whispered, annoyed at having the same topic raised over and over again. But as he thought about their reactions to the name, annoyance was quickly replaced by amusement as he recalled something Eddie once told him about people expecting to meet a fat, sweaty Hungarian guy whenever her name was mentioned. Jamie brought up his hand to hide the grin that threatened to spread across his face.

"Just saying...," Henry grumbled.

Jamie closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he considered what he could disclose to get them off his back. He knew one thing for sure - there was no way that he was telling anyone that he might be crushing on a girl. When he opened his eyes, the two older men were waiting on him. "Alright, not that it matters, but Eddie is a girl," he admitted.

That made Frank perk up with interest. "Oh yeah?" he asked as his mouth stretched into a smile.

Jamie wanted to make sure they didn't get the wrong impression because there was nothing going on at this point. "But, we're just friends. Like I said before."

Henry gave him a knowing look over the rim of his glasses. "A friend you're spending a lot of time with," he pointed out.

"Yeah. So?" Jamie responded before taking a long pull from his beer bottle.

"Well, back in my day -" Henry started.

"In a galaxy far, far away," Jamie whispered much to Frank's amusement.

Henry scowled at his grandson. "Let me finish, wisenheimer," he admonished. "As I was saying, back in my day, if a guy and a girl willingly spent a lot of time together, it's because there was interest for more than just friendship," he declared.

"Is that right?" Jamie asked, feigning ignorance on the subject matter.

"Yeah," Henry confirmed with a nod.

Jamie furrowed his brows at the older man. "So what is it you're saying? Men and women can't be friends without something else going on?" he asked for clarification.

Henry gave him a pointed look. "Highly unlikely," he stated, leaving absolutely no room for doubt.

Jamie wouldn't admit that was the case with Eddie - at least on his part - but he also didn't think that was true in general. He frowned at his grandfather before turning to his dad. "Do you agree with him?" he asked with a thumb pointed at the Reagan patriarch.

Frank shrugged and nodded. "You know, if there's nothing else that's defined the relationship between the two, like work for instance, it's not unusual for there to be some interest that goes beyond platonic from at least one party," Frank theorized. "And even then, the lines may blur."

"So, she's in the academy? What's she like? Any interest?" Henry asked excitedly.

Jamie looked at the older man, still determined to keep his desire for more with Eddie a secret. "What's she like?" he parroted, not sure what his grandfather wanted to know. "She's just a friend. And she's busy with the academy and there has been no interest for more on her part, so that's that," he stated.

"No interest on her part?" Frank questioned with a raised brow.

"You sure about that? Maybe you're just a little rusty in that department," Henry followed with an exaggerated grimace.

"Grandpa!"

Frank chuckled but he could tell that Jamie was holding back on them. "What about you? No interest on your part?"

Jamie sighed but couldn't stop the light blush that rose on his cheeks.

Henry snickered and turned back to the TV. "I think that answers your question, Francis."

"Things are fine right now the way they are. I don't want to mess things up," Jamie huffed.

"Who said anything about messing things up?" Frank asked.

"Girls like to be wined and dined and I don't think that's something that has changed since way back when I was young and single," Henry declared, daring Jamie to make a comment about his age with a single look. But in all seriousness, he hoped his grandson would make more of an effort to break out of his shell if he really liked this girl. "You should ask the lady out on a proper date before you lose your chance, that's all I'm saying," he encouraged.

Jamie opened his mouth to respond, but closed it quickly as his grandfather's words sank in and he considered his situation with Eddie.

* * *

After he left his father's house, Jamie decided he really did need to get off the fence already. He liked Eddie. A lot. They had a certain chemistry and he was ready to admit that he'd like to see if there was something more there.

That's why, when Eddie showed up for their latest study session at a coffee shop near her apartment, he promised himself that he would ask her out. On a real date. To a place that wasn't just a bar or served fast food and there would definitely be no books involved. But he'd spent the whole last hour of their time together trying to figure out a good time to do it and hadn't found one yet. Although Jamie was starting to think that it was actually the courage to ask her out that was lacking.

"You got all of this down pat," he assured Eddie.

Eddie gave him a hesitant smile. "Right now I do. Let's just hope I don't blank out between here and Monday," she grumbled as she reached for her coffee cup, frowning when she found it empty.

Jamie closed the book and leaned on top of it. "You'll be fine and we can have one more cram session tomorrow to get you ready," he said.

Her smile grew and Eddie reached out to gently squeeze his forearm. "Well, I couldn't have done it without you, Reagan. You're a lifesaver," she said.

Jamie's heart stuttered and he figured this was as good a time as any. "Listen, Eddie," he said, as he looked down nervously.

"Yeah?" she asked while putting her books away into her bag.

"I wanted to -," Jamie began before he was interrupted by the ringing of Eddie's cell phone.

Eddie reached for her phone and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the number on the screen. "Oh, sorry, hold up a sec. I gotta take this," she said before slipping out of her seat to take the call. "Hi," she greeted the caller as she stepped away.

Jamie sat there, waiting for Eddie to return and hoped she would be back before he lost his nerve. He practiced what he'd say in his head like some nervous teenager before mentally slapping himself to try to relax.

Eddie returned a minute later with a smile on her face. "We're done here right? Because I gotta run," she said. Eddie went about packing away the rest of her things quickly and missed the surprise on Jamie's face.

Jamie was caught off guard by her rush to leave. "What's going on? You got a hot date or something?" he joked to mask his panic.

Eddie smiled and nodded. "Hot guy from my yoga class. Asked me to meet him for drinks," she said shyly. "We traded numbers a month ago but nothing happened. I'm surprised he called."

Jamie fought to hide his disappointment. The fluttering in his stomach was replaced with a powerful punch to the gut. "Yoga?" he blurted out.

"Yeah," Eddie confirmed and pulled the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

"Ugh, a granola cruncher?" Jamie bantered to hide his urge to throw up.

"No, a commodities trader," Eddie corrected with a grin and a roll of her eyes.

"Where are you going on this first date?" Jamie asked casually as he fought to keep his voice even.

"We're gonna meet up at a place downtown."

"This guy know you're gonna be a cop?" Jamie asked.

Eddie eyed him. "Come on, sport, it's a real romance killer," she told him.

Jamie stood and, somehow, he found it in him to keep their banter going. "But chicks like dating cops, right?"

"No, no, no, no, chicks like dating firefighters," Eddie declared.

Jamie pretended to be hurt by her statement. However, the hurt he was feeling was very real, Eddie just didn't know it. "What?"

Eddie sighed dramatically. "You ever see a beefcake calendar with the NYPD? You don't."

Jamie smirked and raised a brow at her. "Maybe I'll start one," he said smugly as he walked ahead of her, doing his best to hide his disappointment at the realization that she didn't have any interest for more than the friendship they had started.

Eddie bid him a hasty goodbye at the door to the coffee shop. Jamie stood there for a few minutes, watching her retreating form disappear amongst the crowds unable to understand what had just happened. "Had he read her wrong?" he asked himself over and over until the door of the coffee shop hit him in the back. Jamie jumped forward as a rushed customer mumbled an apology and quickly exited with a full cup in his hand.

Jamie took in a deep breath. He could already feel himself wanting to shirk back into the protective bubble he'd created for himself that shielded him from things like this. Defeated, he shook his head and headed for home.

* * *

 _I assume most readers know where this is going..._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jamie climbed up the stairs to the third floor of a residential building in search of Eddie's apartment. They were supposed to be cramming for her next exam tonight - that is until he got a text from her saying that she wasn't feeling well. She hadn't said anything else when he replied with an offer to bring her dinner, so he decided to head to her place anyway and pick up some chicken soup along the way. It would give him a chance to check on her.

And if Jamie was completely honest with himself, he would admit that he also wanted to see if she'd say anything about her date last night. He was hoping it went terribly, because the fact that he might have lost the opportunity for something more with Eddie - all because he'd been hesitant to pull the trigger, so to speak. And that had pissed him off after he'd had a chance to mull everything over. Jamie had left the coffee shop a defeated man and as he continued to stew in his own pity party at home - alone - he came to a realization: it was his fault. He'd been the one to just sit around, debating whether he should or shouldn't ask her out. It was as if he was waiting for a big neon sign to tell him it was time; all because he was afraid. He knew that he couldn't continue on like that, so here he was, using the excuse of bringing chicken soup to a sick friend as a ruse to really see if there was even a glimmer of hope left for him - maybe even if there was a chance for a them.

Jamie stopped in front of apartment 3D and knocked on the door. He waited in the hall for a few minutes, grasping a brown paper bag with the savory soup in his left hand before knocking again. Jamie leaned in towards the door when he thought he heard shuffling coming from the other side.

"Who is it?" Eddie's muffled voice called out from inside the apartment.

Even through the door, Jamie sensed a weariness to her voice and became instantly concerned. "Eddie, it's me, Jamie. Open up," he responded, expecting to hear the locks on the door turning soon thereafter, but there was only silence which brought a frown to Jamie's face.

Instead of greeting him face to face, Eddie replied through the closed door. "I told you I wasn't feeling well. I'm not up for studying, Reagan," she said in a voice that struggled to remain even.

Jamie was on full alert now. He might have only known Eddie for a short time, but his senses were picking up on the fact that something wasn't right with her and it had nothing to do with an illness. "I know, but I brought you some soup since you said you weren't feeling well. Open the door so I can hand it over to you and I'll go, okay?" he pleaded, not wanting to leave without visual proof of her well being.

There was another moment of hesitation and Jamie was expecting another denial of his request but was relieved and surprised when he heard Eddie turn the locks. He just wasn't expecting to see what he saw.

Jamie's jaw dropped as he first took in her swollen, red-rimmed eyes. She held herself stiffly, appearing rumpled in a long-sleeved t-shirt and sweatpants. But what stood out overall, what made Jamie's insides clench were the gash on her forehead, split lip and the mottled bruising along one side of her face and near the corner of her mouth. "Oh my God, Eddie," he whispered, unable to mask his worry. "What happened?" he asked.

Eddie briefly met his eyes when she opened the door, but turned away quickly when she took in the shock and worry reflecting back at her. And she was unable to meet them again when she answered his question, crossing her arms in front of herself protectively. "I, uh, I got in a car accident on my way home last night," she stammered. Eddie nervously glanced at him to see if he believed her.

Sadly, Jamie had seen this type of behavior before, countless times while on the job. He knew it was a lie based on her skittish demeanor and her inability to meet his eyes. Someone had hurt her and she was too afraid to admit it. "Did someone hit you?" he asked, his free hand balling into a fist at his side. He wanted nothing more than to know who'd done this to her and give them a taste of their own medicine.

Caught by surprise by his blunt question, Eddie's eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed repeatedly. "I got in a car accident," she repeated, trying to sound more convincing, but failing miserably.

Jamie called her out on it. "I don't think that's what happened," he argued.

Eddie's head snapped up suddenly and humiliation turned to anger that she now directed at Jamie. Her normally friendly blue eyes turned cold. "Well, I don't really care what you believe, Reagan. It's none of your business, so leave me alone," she spat before slamming the door in his face.

Jamie flinched away from the door as soon as it shut, still holding her chicken soup in his hand. He felt a mixture of shock, anger and confusion flow through him as he clenched his jaw. He closed his eyes and let his head drop, knowing this had something to do with the guy she had met up with last night. When he hoped that her date went badly, this was not what he had meant at all.

* * *

A few days later, Jamie was making his way home after a long day tour. His head hung low, his duffle bag was slung across his back shoulder and out of his way to free his hands only so he could stuff them into his pockets as he walked uptown in a daze. He had no desire to keep up with the hurried flow of the foot traffic around him as people rushed to get home and out of the thick, sticky late afternoon heat. A million thoughts ran through his head, all regarding one petite blonde cadet who'd been ignoring his calls and texts since the night he'd shown up at her apartment.

At a loss for what to do, Jamie sighed and felt compelled to look up, surprised to find himself in front of the same coffee shop he and Eddie had rendezvoused at for a few of their study sessions in the recent past. Jamie frowned and took in his surroundings. He'd been so distracted, he'd veered off course and ended up in Eddie's neighborhood.

He turned back toward the window of the coffee shop and his brow crinkled when he recognized a figure inside. Jamie took a step closer to the storefront for a better look and couldn't hold back his surprise when he caught sight of the subject of his thoughts sitting inside. He stared through the window for a few minutes, observing as Eddie picked her phone up off of the table she was sitting at and hit a button before slamming it back down. She certainly hadn't returned any of his calls and it appeared that she was avoiding someone else as well.

Jamie was relentless when it came to helping the people he cared about and even though she might not have an interest in him as anything more than a study partner and drinking buddy, he would do what he could to help Eddie too. So he turned around, put on a brave face and headed into the coffee shop.

Dressed casually in jeans and a long sleeved blouse, Eddie sat hunched over to one side, her head braced against her left hand as she stared aimlessly at a book on the table, unaware of the shadow that rolled across the pages.

"Hey," Jamie greeted quietly as he sidestepped between Eddie's table and a neighboring table.

Eddie's head snapped up at the sound of the familiar voice. "Hey, Reagan," she replied flatly while quickly scanning the immediate area and bringing her eyes back down to her book.

Jamie pursed his lips when he saw that she was less than thrilled to see him. It pained him to still see her so guarded and hurt, like the other night. The bruising and gash on her face had lightened, but it was still evident, especially with her hair pulled back into a high ponytail at the crown of her head and no makeup at all to cover it up. She appeared far younger than an NYPD cadet should look.

Jamie gave her a tight smile and plowed on. "What have you been up to? You haven't returned any of my calls," he said.

Eddie shrugged without so much as a glance in his direction. "I've been busy," Eddie replied curtly, still trying to appear focused on her studies.

Jamie nodded, not that she could see him. He looked around the busy coffee shop as he considered how much he should push, but chose to keep things casual and conversational for now. "How'd your last exam go?" he asked.

Eddie was nothing if not stubborn, something that Jamie was learning quickly as she remained in her seemingly focused slouch.

"Good," she quickly answered as she read over the same line in her textbook for the hundredth time. Eddie knew he could see through her façade, but still prayed he would go away, even though a part of her was dying for him to stay or to just do something other than keeping this all bottled up.

Jamie became more determined with each of her attempts to brush him off. He pulled his bag off his body as he slid into the seat across from her, which garnered an annoyed sigh from his companion that he easily ignored. "It's strange to not get more than two word answers from you," Jamie commented lightly while giving her pointed look.

"I don't feel like talking," Eddie mumbled as she continued to pretend to read.

Jamie was about to carry on with their conversation to nowhere when he was interrupted by Eddie's phone. He became suspicious of who was calling her when he witnessed the same reaction to the device that he'd seen through the window: an annoyed glance at the caller ID and a quick swipe to decline the call while dropping it back onto the surface of the table.

Jamie was tired and figured he had nothing to lose by being direct. "You want to tell me about that date the other night? Who was he, Eddie?"

That got Eddie's attention and she scowled at him as she sat up straight in her chair. "Some guy. You need to lay off with the twenty questions," she ordered.

Jamie ignored the icy reply. He knew he should tread lightly but couldn't stop himself from snapping back at her. "Maybe, if I was getting some answers."

Eddie stiffened and gave him a piercing glare. "We hang out sometimes and you help me study for the academy. That doesn't make my personal life fair game," she told him.

Jamie sat back in his own seat, stunned. So that was that then, right? They were study partners and drinking buddies. He took a deep breath, hurt by her statement and cold tone. Jamie had a terrible poker face and he knew it, which forced him to look away to try and hide what he was feeling.

Eddie swallowed hard. She hated the hurt she saw in his eyes and hated herself for putting it there, but she didn't have the courage to tell him or anyone, for that matter, what was going on. She was planning about becoming a cop for God's sake! This should have never happened; she should have been able to defend herself. She knew what everyone would think if it got out she'd allowed herself to be assaulted: she doesn't deserve to be a cop. So she kept her mouth shut. She waited, expecting Jamie to get up and walk away, but he surprised her, yet again.

Jamie put aside his disappointment and smiled tightly. He would not be deterred and set forth a new course of action. "Okay," he whispered. "What are you studying?" he asked gently when he was able to look at her again.

Eddie sighed, part of her relieved that he didn't seem to hate her and the other part frustrated when he remained in his seat. "Radio codes," she responded curtly and slumped back in her chair.

"Want some help with those?" he offered.

"Sure," Eddie shrugged and looked down at the book where her fingertips played with the edges of the pages. She knew that short of leaving, she probably wouldn't be able to get rid of him. But if they stuck to their usual studies, she hoped that she could avoid any more personal questions from him. And she knew that after the last few days, she was desperate for company, especially with someone who made her feel safe. Although part of her wanted him to drag the truth from her...she really felt like a hypocrite.

Jamie nodded at her empty cup as he leaned forward to pull his wallet out of his back pocket. "Okay. Want to grab us some coffee? I'll buy?" he offered as he pulled a bill out and held it out to Eddie.

Eddie stared back, sad that he seemed to give up so easily and hating herself for thinking that. It was kind of what she wanted, after all. "Sure," she replied and grabbed the money from his fingers as she quickly stood from her seat. She was relieved to have a reason to step away and gather her composure.

Jamie gave her a more relaxed smile. "I'll stay with our stuff," he added.

Eddie nodded and got in line to order their coffees.

Jamie glanced over his shoulder and once he confirmed that she was otherwise distracted, he grabbed her cell phone from the table. He found the number of the declined calls on the home screen and quickly saved it into his own phone. If she wasn't going to help him help her, he would do it himself.


	10. Chapter 10

_Sorry for the delay in posting, I've been out of town. Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing, please keep them coming! :)_

Chapter 10

Looking around the small, mostly empty pizzeria, Jamie was glad for the mid-afternoon hour of their study date. He took a bite from his pizza while sneaking a peek at Eddie who was digging into her own slice. She was more relaxed than the last time he'd seen her, but missing was the lively, fun-loving and wise-cracking attitude he'd grown accustomed to. It had been four days since he'd grabbed the number off her phone and had ran it through the police database. The way he saw it, a crime had been committed and he was doing his job, right?

He discovered that the number belonged to a Jake Singer, a twenty-nine year old commodities broker with a tidy trust fund that helped feed his enormous ego and unrequited feeling of entitlement - a description he'd been given by the detective that worked his case. He was in the system for first-degree rape charges - charges that were dropped because the victims had later refused to testify. Jamie's conversation with the detective left him simmering. That hadn't been the only allegation of assault against him, but the alleged victims declined to file charges in those cases as well.

Jamie knew how badly Singer had hurt Eddie and he didn't want to let this issue drop until he could help her somehow. His father's words from dinner a few days ago echoed in his head. He'd asked how hard he should push to help a friend who didn't seem to want his help at all. In a similar predicament of his own, his father had said that he needed to get over the fear of losing the friendship before he made any further decisions. Jamie knew losing Eddie's friendship was a very real possibility, considering how resistant she had been to his attempts to get her to admit what had happened. But if it meant Singer would be punished for hurting her and would prevent him from hurting someone else, it would be worth it in the end, no matter how much he would miss Eddie.

Jamie put his slice down and scanned the restaurant again. He wasn't so sure a pizza parlor was the best place to do this, but decided to address the elephant in the room before he lost all resolve; he was just grateful it was empty at this time of day. Jamie took a big gulp from his water bottle and sat back. "The guy you went on a date with, he ever call you again?" he asked casually as he screwed the cap back onto the bottle.

Eddie frowned as she wiped her hands with a napkin and swallowed her last bite. She thought they were done talking about this. "That's none of your business," she replied evenly.

Jamie could already see the walls coming up. Dismissive & Guarded Eddie was getting ready to make a reappearance and he steeled himself for what he knew would be coming his way. "It may not be my business, but I'm gonna make it mine," he declared, hoping he was clear that he wasn't going to lay off the matter any longer, no matter what she would say or do.

Eddie's head snapped back abruptly upon hearing his words and her mouth hung open as she stared back, shocked by his audacity. She could feel her cheeks flush as anger grew within her. He had some nerve to make such a declaration.

Jamie forged on and leaned forward so that he could speak to her in a more hushed tone in the quiet restaurant. "If something happened to you, Eddie, you need to report it," he told her and continued when she made no move to respond. "If he hit you or he assaulted you in any way, you need to report it because if you don't, he's gonna do it to someone else," he warned.

Eddie was trembling on the inside. She knew he was right, but she couldn't tell the world what Singer had done to her and think she would still be taken seriously by anyone in a male-dominated profession like law enforcement. Eddie turned away from his intense gaze before she replied in a low, shaky voice. "Do you even know what it's like being a woman in a profession like this? It's bad enough people doubt that I'll even make it through to graduation, what's it gonna be like when I actually don on the uniform? And you want me to walk into a precinct and announce that some guy sexually assaulted me? How long before word got back to the academy, huh? You don't think every guy in that place will secretly be thinking, 'she really shouldn't become a cop. She can't even defend herself'?" she rattled off.

Jamie could see her eyes grow misty even as she shied away from him. He longed to reach out and hold her hand, but only leaned forward, hoping to draw her attention. He remained still until Eddie finally dared to look back at him. "I won't be thinking that," he promised her softly. "A lot of people won't be thinking that."

Eddie shook her head and looked down at the table, reaching up to push her hair behind her right ear. "You know, it's bad enough that I constantly have to prove myself. I know there are guys in there who don't even think I should get this job," she said calmly as she began to throw the few personal items she had on the table into her purse. "And you want me to admit that this guy punched me and hit me and groped me?" She paused everything she was doing to take in a shaky breath and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "It took every bit of me to get away from him," she admitted, as she stared down at the table, her light blue eyes now glassy.

Jamie's stomach had clenched with every mention of what that bastard had done to her; he didn't know what to say to make her feel better.

But Eddie wasn't finished and she looked back up at him. "And do you know what I did," she asked with a look of self-recrimination. "I ran into the bathroom and I locked the door. I hid like a little girl. I stayed in there all night," she admitted as she angrily swiped at her eyes.

Jamie didn't drop her gaze. He wanted her to know he was on her side. "I'm so sorry, Eddie," Jamie whispered.

Eddie shook her head, seeing the pity in his eyes and hating herself for it. "I want to forget about this," she rasped. "Will you please not bring it up again," she ordered and got up from her seat as she pulled her purse from the empty chair next to her.

Jamie knew he had to come clean about what he'd done and the things he found out as a result; she needed to hear it all. So he spoke up before she had a chance to walk away. "He was accused of rape in the past," he revealed just loud enough for her to hear.

Stunned, Eddie came to an abrupt stop to Jamie's left. She froze upon hearing that bit of news, unable to face him. "How would you know?" she wondered out loud.

Guilt washed over Jamie's face as he looked down to where his hands fidgeted on his lap. "I got his number out of your phone and I ran it through the system," he confessed quietly. "The charges were dropped," he added.

Eddie was stuck on what Jamie had done, not Singer's rap sheet; she turned, narrowing her eyes at him. "You did what?" she seethed.

Jamie turned to her. It pained him to be the recipient of such a look from her. "I'm trying to help you, Eddie," he said.

Eddie took a calming breath before responding. "I don't want your help. I don't need it," she replied angrily. "And if you bring this up again, I'm gonna report you for unauthorized use of a police computer," she threatened before storming out of the restaurant.

* * *

After the confrontation at the pizzeria and the subsequent confession to having gone behind a friend's back to steal information from their phone, most would have backed off considering the reaction those actions had garnered.

Eddie had been perfectly clear - she didn't want his help, but Jamie was like a dog with his bone - he couldn't let this go. Eddie now knew the truth, that she was one of many assaulted by Springer - one of many that had let him walk away scott free. And his gut was screaming at him now; she might consider taking things into her own hands and give Singer a taste of his own medicine while still keeping the assault a secret from the rest of the world.

He felt like a heel, but his suspicions had been right when he'd followed her the next night to Singer's apartment building which was situated along a quiet, dimly lit residential block on the upper west side. It was late - nearing ten o'clock - and there had been little to no foot traffic during the hour he watched her sitting in her car, waiting for Singer to come home.

Luckily for Singer, Jamie spotted him first as he casually strolled down the next block on his way home. Jamie got out of his car and followed discreetly, tempted to drag the guy into a dark alley and beat on him, but that was the exact thing he was trying to prevent from happening tonight. Jamie could tell when Eddie spotted Singer, as she began to slowly slouch in her seat - out of sight. Jamie had his head low and went unnoticed as Eddie was hyper focused on Singer as he passed. Once Jamie snuck by Eddie's car, he waited on the sidewalk, next to a minivan, to await her next move.

Eddie stepped out of her car, closing the door quietly as she switched the item she held in her left hand to her right and walked low and slow along the street, out of Singer's view. She extended her baton as she watched him casually making his way to his building. But she startled easily when Jamie suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blocked her path.

"Hey," he said and held up his hands to stop her progress and assure her that he wasn't a threat.

"Whoa!" she yelped as her eyes widened and she breathed heavily at the fright. Her head snapped from Jamie to Singer who was now entering his building. Realizing she'd missed her opportunity, she frowned at Jamie. "What, what are you doing here?" she snapped, still fighting to catch her breath.

Jamie stuffed his hands in his pockets and studied her. "I could ask you the same thing."

A flash of anger went through her when she realized he'd ruined her plans. "This is getting really annoying, Reagan," she shouted.

Jamie ignored her outburst and stepped into her personal space. "Do you really think you can make this better with a little bit of street justice?" he asked.

Eddie's jaw clenched as she shook her head in frustration, fighting back the tears that were long overdue. "Maybe this isn't about making things better," she argued. "Maybe this is about evening the score."

 _Enough was enough,_ he thought. He wasn't going to let her ruin her life over this bastard. "Hey! If the academy finds out about this or he makes a complaint, you're done," he snapped, desperate to get through to her.

Eddie looked back at him in disbelief, wondering whose side he was on. "After what he did to me?" she asked incredulously.

The expression on Jamie's face softened and he gently placed his hand on her left arm. "Listen, it won't be about what he did; it'll become about what you did," Jamie explained. "This is not the way to get this guy," he said and reached for the baton in her right hand.

Eddie's face began to crumble and she looked down to where he took hold of her weapon. "I can't be seen as a victim," she whispered.

Jamie took hold of the baton and squeezed her arm. "If you stand up for yourself, you won't be seen as a victim," he replied softly.

Eddie looked at him and shook her head. She didn't think she had the strength to do this. "I can't," she cried.

"Yes, you can," he said with the confidence she lacked.

"It's humiliating," Eddie admitted, with tears now streaming down her cheeks.

"You won't be alone," Jamie promised as he pulled her in for a hug, one arm going around her shoulders as he gently held her head against his chest with the other hand.

Her arms slowly went around his waist while she cried against him, releasing all of the emotions she'd locked away since that awful night.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

A few days later, Jamie and Vinny followed Eddie into the busy midtown restaurant dressed in full uniform. Their faces were stoney; they weren't on meal break, but on duty to carry out a long overdue arrest warrant for one Jake Singer.

Eddie wore her own cadet uniform, her face devoid of any emotion, but on the inside, her stomach was in knots in a mixture of anticipation and fear of whom they'd be seeing today. After Jamie had stopped her from trying to stupidly enact her own version of street justice on Singer the other night, she'd cried in his arms until she had nothing left give. She'd felt so stupid, but Jamie had been a source of strength and comfort. She'd finally allowed herself to see that he had been trying to offer just that since he'd first witnessed for himself what Singer had done to her.

Eddie moved through the popular eatery and came to a stop when she spotted the person they were looking for.

Jamie stopped along side of her, placing his hands on his hips as he followed her line of sight. "Is that him?" he asked.

Eddie's stared at the subject of her nightmares and took a fortifying breath. "Yeah," she whispered, but did not take her eyes off of her assailant.

Jamie looked down at his friend. He could sense her nerves, but he knew she was determined to see this through now. "Ready?" Jamie asked.

Eddie looked Jamie in the eyes, thankful that he had her back. "Yeah," she said confidently.

Jamie nodded at Vinny before walking through a maze of people and tables to the rear of the restaurant. "Jake Singer," he called out as he neared their perp. Singer appeared to be a on a lunch date with another young, attractive blue-eyed blonde; it seemed that he had a type.

Singer's eyes widened slightly as he looked up at the approaching officers, but he paled when when he saw Eddie in her uniform behind them. "You...You're a cop?" he stammered through a nervous laugh.

Vinny walked around Singer and stood opposite his partner just in case they had a runner on their hands.

The raucous restaurant quieted to whispers as curious eyes turned their attention from their meals to the officers now surrounding the nervous young patron and his date.

Eddie stood tall next to Jamie. "Not yet, but that's why they're here; they're gonna arrest you," she told him, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders while also wishing she had done this sooner.

Singer laughed again as he glanced at his date and then at his audience as perspiration began to dot his upper lip. "Uh, what are you talking about?" he asked innocently.

"Get up, on your feet," Jamie ordered with a wave of his hand. "Hands behind your back," he added. Jamie was making sure they put on a show for the rest of the restaurant; humiliating Singer in front of the world was a little added perk on their part, which they were going to take full advantage of and thoroughly enjoy.

But Singer didn't move. He could only stare back in disbelief as he began to sweat in earnest.

Jamie looked over at his partner. "Get him up," he requested.

Vinny had been quiet up until that point but was happy to be in on this arrest. "Gladly," he said with a smirk as he reached to pull Singer out of the chair. "Get up!" he instructed more forcefully.

Singer slowly got up and Vinny belted out another order for all the restaurant to hear. "Turn around!"

Singer could only stare at Eddie, looking dumbfounded, and ignored the officer next to him.

"Turn around!" Vinny repeated. He grabbed the perp's arm to prod him along, but when he snagged it away, Vinny brought him roughly to his knees and cuffed him. "And now I'm gonna add resisting arrest," he grumbled as he fought to snap the second cuff around the struggling man.

"What's going on?" the startled blonde asked.

Jamie took the opportunity to announce the charges...loudly. "Jake Singer, you're under arrest for sexual abuse in the first degree and assault in the second."

"Get up," Vinny barked and pulled Singer to his feet.

"Sexual assault?" the wide-eyed blonde asked.

"No, this is all a misunderstanding," Singer explained to his date.

Eddie finally spoke up. She had only been able to stare quietly at Singer as Jamie and Vinny arrested him, but broke free from her spell when he claimed her assault was a _misunderstanding._ Eddie turned toward the other young woman, determined to make Singer pay for what he had done, even if it meant the whole world knew the truth about what happened to her. "It's not a mistake. He attacked me because I wouldn't have sex with him," she told the blonde. "Consider yourself lucky."

Jamie waited until Vinny escorted Singer out in handcuffs before turning to Eddie. "Let's go," he said softly and placed a hand on her back to motion her along.

Eddie's blue eyes met Jamie's, feeling like she could finally breathe again.

* * *

Jamie stepped out of the precinct and into another balmy, summer evening. He was dead tired after his long and hard tour and was ready to call it a night, but perked up when he spotted someone waiting for him at the bottom of the precinct steps.

"Hey," Jamie called out.

Eddie pushed off of the railing she had been leaning against and looked at up at Jamie as he made his way down to meet her. They had parted ways outside the restaurant after Vinny had manhandled an uncooperative Singer into the back of their cruiser. Springer had continued to resist arrest and whacked his head pretty hard on his way into the squad car despite Vinny's attempts to 'carefully' load him into the backseat. Jamie had promised to process Singer himself, encouraging Eddie to return to the academy - he was determined to not let Singer disrupt her life any further. She'd left without a chance to thank either of them, but Jamie especially. "So, I heard he won't be arraigned until tomorrow," she stated.

Jamie came to a stop one step above her. "Good," he said.

"Yeah," Eddie replied. She grabbed the strap of her purse, her thumb running nervously up and down the smooth leather strap as she looked up into his eyes. "Um, I just wanted to say that you're a real pain in the ass," she said with a shy smirk. It was always easier to joke around when she got nervous.

Jamie laughed softly.

The smirk fell from Eddie's face and she breathed in deeply. "Thank you for convincing me to come forward," she added, more seriously this time. She didn't think a simple 'thank you' was enough. She was more grateful than he would ever know, but she wasn't sure what else to say or do to express that to him. And on top of that, she felt horrible for the way she'd treated him during the whole mess when all he wanted to do was help her. Eddie was tempted to reach out and hug him, like he'd done the night he had convinced her to come forward, but she held back.

Jamie nodded. He didn't want her thanks; he was just happy he could help her. "No problem," he replied. "How're you doing?" he asked after a moment, his expression. soft and concerned - one that made her melt just a little.

Eddie wasn't sure how to answer and shrugged. "Okay, I guess." She looked at the people coming and going around them before glancing back at Jamie with a funny look. "I'm really hungry. I skipped lunch today to go arrest him with you," she said sheepishly.

Jamie chuckled. "Wow, and you haven't collapsed yet?" he shot back. "Want to go to Anton's and get some ribs?" he offered, remembering how much she enjoyed going there the first time they'd gotten together to study.

Eddie gave him the smile that made his mind go blank. "It's all-you-can-eat Tuesdays," she announced.

A smile remained on Jamie's face as he came off the last step and placed a hand on the small of Eddie's back, guiding her away from the precinct. "Yup. And with your appetite, we might just put them out of business," he quipped.

"Today, I just might," she admitted freely.

Jamie walked alongside her, dropping his hand to his side. They quietly strolled down the sidewalk for about a block, the whole time Jamie was thinking about how grateful he was that she was okay, or would be okay with a little time. He also hoped they could go back to hanging out together without the awkwardness or tension that had been surrounding them over the past week.

Jamie was pulled from his thoughts when he felt Eddie take a hold of his hand and haul him across the street.

"Come on, Jamie. Girl's gotta eat and you're moseying along Fourth Avenue like we got all night," she threw back at him over her shoulder as she led him to the curb.

Jamie quickened his steps as she pulled him along, gripping her hand in return. "Hey, I just worked a twelve hour tour. Cut me some slack, huh?" he complained, doing his best to sound put upon, but all he could focus on was Eddie's smaller hand in his and how right it felt there.

Once they reached the other side, Eddie didn't let go...and neither did Jamie.

"So bossy. I feel sorry for whoever ends up as your partner," he grumbled lightly.

Eddie's mouth dropped open. "Hey! They should consider themselves lucky!" she snapped.

"For what? Having to chase the perps while you stay with the car?" Jamie argued.

Eddie smiled at his reference to an earlier exchange. "That won't be the case with the mini-marathons you make me run with you," she complained.

"I told you, that helps you build endurance," Jamie reminded her.

"I can think of more pleasurable ways to do that," she snapped back with a seductive little grin as they reached their destination. Eddie released his hand to open the door of the restaurant and quickly walked in.

She left behind a bewildered Jamie who stood there until the door almost closed on him. Jamie shook his head and smiled, snatching the handle and pulling the door open just before it shut completely. "I'm in so much trouble," he whispered as he went in search of his dining companion.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Reagans were gathered outside of Madison Square Garden among the crowd of hundreds of newly minted officers surrounded by their families and friends. They were no strangers to this event - every year since he'd become Commissioner, they'd all joined Frank in welcoming the young men and women who'd persevered through hard work and intense training to become a member of the New York City Police Department. And even before Frank was Police Commissioner, they'd attended many graduations to cheer on their very own family members in their dress blues.

Erin was the first to spot her father making his way through the dense crowd. "Hey, dad, over here!" she called out as she waved him down.

Linda wrapped her arms around Sean who stood in front of her and smiled at her father-in-law as he approached in his own dress blues. "That was a great speech, Frank," she complimented.

Frank grinned at his daughter-in-law. "Thank you, sweetheart. I'm glad to hear that because it gets harder every year to say something I haven't already said before," he admitted.

Danny smirked as he took his cap off and placed it under his arm. "If you dig deep enough, dad, I'm sure you can find some other obscure philosopher we've never heard of to quote," he quipped.

Henry chuckled next to Danny and looked around at the group. He, for one, was ready to move on to more important business. "We ready to head back home?" he asked. "Because I'm hungry."

Erin scanned the immediate area, her brow furrowing when she came to a realization. "We're missing Jamie," she said.

"He was just here," Nicky replied as she spun around in search of her youngest uncle.

"Uncle Jamie's over there," Jack announced.

Danny had one arm over his oldest's shoulders and followed his son's line of sight. "Where, Jack?" he asked as he scanned the crowd.

Jack threw his arm up and pointed at his uncle in the distance. "There with that blonde officer," he told the group.

Jamie was about twenty yards away, chatting and laughing with a petite, blonde graduate with a megawatt smile that no one recognized.

"Who's she?" Erin puzzled as she eyed the pair curiously. It had been a long time since she had seen Jamie laugh and smile like he was doing now.

"I've never seen her before," Danny commented with the same sharp, inquisitive eyes.

"They look friendly," Henry commented, knowing exactly who she was. He smiled appreciatively at the young couple.

Frank grinned at his father's comment, but said nothing.

"So she's a friend?" Linda pondered out loud. By this time, the whole family was studying Jamie and the mystery woman.

"They look _really_ friendly," Nicky observed.

Sean looked up at his mother questioningly. "What does ' _really_ friendly' mean?" he asked.

Frank glanced at his youngest and his 'friend' before turning narrowed eyes at his family. "You all sound like the peanut gallery," he accused.

Determined to solve this mystery, Danny's face brightened and he clapped his hands together decisively. "Well, I say we let the kid know we're ready to get out of here, huh?" He looked around at the family but didn't wait for their approval before taking off.

"Good idea. I'll come with you," Erin said with a grin as she followed after her older brother.

"Here they go..." Frank sighed, while hoping Jamie was prepared for whatever his oldest children had in store for him.

Henry heard Frank's muttered words and chuckled.

Danny and Erin headed over to Jamie and both smiled sweetly at his friend as they approached. "Hey, kid, you ready to head out?" Danny asked while sneaking a glance at the attractive blonde.

Jamie stiffened and turned, surprised to find both Danny and Erin at his side. "Yeah, ready," he responded. He looked from Eddie to his siblings and immediately picked up on the real reason they'd come looking for him, but he wasn't going to be rude, so he made the necessary introductions. "Eddie Janko, this is my brother, Danny, and my sister, Erin. Eddie just graduated with the class," he said and prayed that his siblings didn't do anything to embarrass him in front of Eddie.

"Nice to meet you, Eddie," Erin said with a nod of her head.

"Congratulations," Danny added as he extended his hand.

Eddie returned the firm grip and smiled at the pair. "The detective and the ADA," she said knowingly, glad to finally put faces to the names. "It's nice to meet you both," she responded cheerfully before looking back at Jamie and pointing behind her. "I gotta go find my family in this crowd somewhere. We still on for beers later?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I'll see ya there," he confirmed with a nod, happy to know he'd still be seeing her later.

"Okay, then," Eddie said warmly, her smile growing upon his confirmation of their plans. "It was nice meeting you," she said as she turned to Danny and Erin.

"You too, Eddie," Danny replied.

"Congratulations, again," Erin added, trying to read into what, if anything, was going on between the two of them. Eddie certainly knew who they were, but they had no clue who this Eddie Janko was before today.

Eddie gave them one last smile before she turned to leave. "Thanks. Bye," she said with a short wave as she walked off into the mass of people behind her.

"Bye," Jamie said as he steeled himself to face his brother and sister. They were both grinning at him when he finally turned towards them. "What?" Jamie asked, already annoyed at what he knew was coming.

"Who's she?" Danny asked with a sly grin.

Jamie gave them a puzzled look like they were crazy. "That was Eddie," he reminded them. "I just introduced you."

Danny rolled his eyes. "No, I mean who _is_ she?" he tried clarifying.

"A friend," Jamie replied, knowing well what they were fishing for.

Erin crossed her arms in front of her, giving him a look she reserved for questioning witnesses on the stand. "A friend or a _friend_?" she asked, her brows arching for added effect.

Jamie was the one rolling his eyes now. "Oh, for God's sake," he said under his breath as he headed back toward the rest of the family. "If you two are going to talk like _this_ the rest of the day, it's going to get annoying real quick."

"Spill, kid," Danny ordered as he walked quickly to catch up with his brother and wrapped an arm around Jamie's shoulders.

Jamie sighed as he came to a stop across from his father. "There's nothing to spill," he told Danny and then looked over at his father and grandfather. They had smirks on their faces and Jamie knew they'd seen him talking to Eddie too. "That was Eddie," he informed them.

"So we gathered," Henry responded, the same knowing smile still plastered on his face.

"I guess all that studying paid off," Frank commented.

"What studying?" Erin asked as she resumed her position next to Nicky.

"Your brother helped a friend get through the academy," Frank explained with a half shrug of his shoulders.

"You keep calling her a _friend,"_ Danny pointed out with air quotes.

"I guess now I can call her Officer Janko. Is that clearer?" Jamie shot back.

"All right. This could go on all day, but we got food waiting on us, so let's go troops," the commissioner ordered, hoping that got Jamie a temporary reprieve from the interrogation. Although, he did look forward to Danny's continued efforts to dig for more information on this mystery woman Jamie had been spending so much time with. Frank hadn't been blind to the positive changes in his youngest over the last several months. It was something that brought some relief to his own heavy heart.

* * *

Jamie's face lit up when he finally saw Eddie cutting through the crowded bar - a lot of other graduates had the same idea and were also out having celebratory drinks tonight. She was dressed comfortably in jeans and a white blouse, her hair loose and wavy around her shoulders and no longer in the tight bun she'd worn it in to the graduation ceremony. He thought she looked amazing and couldn't help returning the smile she was sending his way.

Jamie patted the empty seat next to him as she drew closer. "It's about time you got here. I was thinking I'd have to just keep celebrating without you," he said as he held up a less than half-empty pint glass while signaling the waitress for two more.

"I'm sorry. Dinner ran long," she apologized. "And I needed to go home and change first." Eddie let herself drop into the chair as she threw her bag onto another empty chair.

"Lot's of family?" Jamie guessed.

"Lot's of family drama," Eddie responded with a roll of her eyes and a heavy sigh.

Jamie smiled because he certainly knew how that went. "Yeah? So it wasn't just a celebration in your honor?" he inquired.

Eddie nodded her thanks as the waitress delivered their drinks, pushing a few strands of hair behind her ear. "It was, until one of my aunts brought up my dad," she explained.

"Why would she do that?" Jamie asked before draining the last of his first beer.

Eddie took a long pull from her glass and brought it back down to the table. "Because he sent her a letter to pass on to me on graduation day," she muttered as she turned the glass around repeatedly.

"Oh," Jamie said, understanding the drama now. "So? Did you read it?" he asked curiously, wondering what her father could have written in it.

"Of course not," Eddie replied quickly.

"Why not?" Jamie asked, surprised by her answer.

Eddie frowned. "I already told you why not, Reagan," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but he's still your dad, Eddie," he emphasized.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Eddie wondered out loud, throwing her hands up in frustration. It was the same line she'd heard all day.

"Because it's true," he said carefully, not wanting to cause her any grief on her graduation day. They were supposed to be celebrating after all.

Eddie shook her head and brushed the same stubborn lock of hair away from her face. "What does he expect? That there will be some glorious family reunion? I'll just walk into the prison and he'll say 'sorry,' and I'll say, 'hey, no hard feelings, dad'?"

Jamie shrugged. He might not be able to fully understand what this was like for her, but he was not one to hold a grudge and keep so much anger bottled up inside. He found it exhausting and counter-productive and hoped she understood where he was coming from. "It might not be quite that easy, but maybe going to see him would be a start?"

"For what?" she shot back and turned in her seat to lean one elbow onto of the table.

"For a little healing on your part," he encouraged.

"Healing?" Eddie said skeptically as she looked into her glass.

Jamie arched a brow at her. "Come on, Eddie. It's obvious how much this is eating you up, and rightfully so, but being angry and ignoring him isn't going to make it go away," he advised.

"Thanks, Dr. Phil," she deadpanned and downed another gulp of beer.

Jamie let out a short laugh and explained himself. "I'm just saying, it might take some of that pent-up anger and frustration away...so you don't burst one day. You're gonna see a lot of crazy, disturbing things on the job and you're going to have to know how to let things go."

"I don't know," she whispered and looked back down at her glass. To be honest, she had been angry and resentful of her father for so long that she didn't know how to let it go at this point.

Jamie tilted his head to meet her eyes. "Just think about it," he said.

One side of Eddie's mouth curved upward as she met his blue eyes. "Alright, but not tonight. You're supposed to be buying me drinks to celebrate the fact that I am now your equal," she declared and held her glass up for a toast.

Jamie's face scrunched up and he reluctantly tapped his glass against hers. "Equal?" he snorted.

Eddie returned the same look. "I don't think there are any stripes or a gold shield on your uniform," she argued.

Jamie huffed out a laugh because she had no idea about what was coming. "Let me know if you feel like my equal when you're getting all the crap, rookie assignments for the next year...at least," he said smugly.

"Like what?" Eddie asked, concerned about what she might be in for. She hadn't considered the whole low-man-on-the-totem-pole thing until now and was suddenly feeling a little apprehensive.

Jamie tapped a finger against his chin dramatically as he thought of all jobs Renzulli stuck him with during his rookie year. "Waiting for the ME in an unventilated hallway with a rotting corpse on the other side of an apartment door in the middle of summer," he rattled off as he held one finger up.

Eddie grimaced. "That sounds disgusting," she grumbled. "Really?"

"Get ready to burn some uniforms," Jamie warned. He nodded carefully while drinking his beer when she continued to look at him like he was making this stuff up.

"Is that why they give you the uniform allowance?" Eddie asked.

Jamie laughed. "That, and because of the drunks that puke on you. Then there are the perps that run and you have to tackle into piles of garbage in scummy alleys," he listed.

"Remind me again why I'm doing this?" she asked worriedly.

"Because there's nothing else you'd rather be doing. You'll see," he assured her with a smile.

Eddie looked back at Jamie, smiling at the relaxed expression on his face. She turned her eyes away quickly when she realized she'd been staring and picked up her glass. "I don't think I'll be good for more than one beer tonight. Anymore than that and I'll get sleepy," Eddie predicted.

Jamie smiled. "Well, you shouldn't be boozing it up the night before your first day on the job anyway," he admonished lightly.

"I'm not boozing it up, I'm celebrating," she corrected. "You're the one that wanted to come out."

"Yeah, I did," he admitted. He'd wanted to celebrate this with her too.

"But I had my good share of wine to get through the family drama and it's been a long day," she defended herself. "I'm just ready to jump in bed," she said and let out a tired sigh.

Jamie pursed his lips at the image her statement conjured up in his head. "So," he said distractedly, "I forgot to ask what precinct you got assigned to," he asked, going with whatever popped into his head first.

"The five-four," Eddie stated.

Jamie's eyes widened. He had been about to take another sip from his glass when he suddenly dropped it back down, some of the beer inside sloshing over the edge when it roughly hit the table. "Seriously?"

Eddie straightened up at his tone...he sounded worried. "Yeah. What's wrong?" she asked.

Jamie shook his head and considered his luck. "Nothing, just that the five-four is Danny's precinct."

"Really?" Eddie responded with arched brows. "So if I run into him, will he be willing to give me some dirt on you from when you were growing up?" she asked and wondered how approachable the older Reagan brother truly was.

"This is gonna be bad for me, I can already tell," Jamie complained much to Eddie's amusement.

Eddie threw her head back as she let out a belly laugh. "Oh, I am so going to be on the look out for your brother!" she threatened.

Jamie ran his hand down the length of his face. "Isn't it enough that he tortured me growing up?" he whined.

"Oh, come on! I'm sure he wasn't so bad."

"You haven't really met Danny," Jamie said under his breath.

"Man, I can't wait to start work tomorrow!" Eddie proclaimed, the fatigue she complained about a moment ago now forgotten.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Vinny yawned as he sat in the passenger seat of the radio car next to his partner. They were half way through a day tour that had been exceptionally quiet so far. That and the dreary weather outside were probably the reasons why he was fighting the strong urge for a nap. Bored, Vinny turned and studied his partner's profile. "So, you hear from Eddie since she went on the job?" he asked to pass the time. He hadn't seen the new officer since just before her graduation and assumed that she was busy getting used to her new job.

Jamie sighed inwardly. He knew his partner well and knew where this was going already; he wasn't any subtler than his family. "Yeah," Jamie answered casually from the driver's seat as he weaved the car through traffic which was already slow because of an early afternoon thunderstorm.

"Yeah?" Vinny repeated, one side of his mouth curling up into a half smile, proving his partner right. "How have her first few weeks been?" he inquired.

Jamie hit the siren a few times to get the car in front of them moving along. "Good," he answered with a quick glance at Vinny before continuing. "She's at the five-four and got some fifteen-year vet as her TO," he advised.

Vinny turned to his partner with a full smirk. "So I take it you two are still hanging out even though she doesn't need your tutoring anymore?" he presumed.

Jamie shrugged noncommittally.

Vinny arched a brow, suspicious of the non-response. "What was that?"

"What?" Jamie replied turning his head quickly toward Vinny before refocusing on the traffic around them.

"The shrug," Vinny said and narrowed his eyes at his partner. "You two are still hanging out, aren't you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Here and there for a bite or a drink," Jamie answered vaguely.

"And?" Vinny prompted.

"And what, man?" Jamie asked. There was nothing more to tell.

"I swear, its like pulling teeth with you, Reagan," Vinny complained with an annoyed shake of his head. "What's going on with you two? Are you seeing each other?" he questioned his partner.

Jamie scrunched up his face. "What? No! Where would you get an idea like that from? We're just friends," Jamie claimed.

"Friends, huh?" Vinny said with a hint of doubt.

"Yes," Jamie confirmed as he pulled the car along the curb. He put the car in park and radioed in their position, thinking the conversation was over...until Vinny started up again a minute later.

"I'm having trouble believing that," he muttered under his breath.

Jamie rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "Well, believe it. She made it clear that we're just friends," he disclosed.

Vinny's head jutted back at that ridiculous statement. He was sure those two had something going on. "What? I don't believe it," he proclaimed.

"It's true. She said as much," Jamie replied as a matter-of-factly, doing a pretty good job to keep the disappointment out of his voice. But it had been a while since she'd made that clear and, like all things, the disappointment had eased with time.

Vinny released his seatbelt and turned in his seat. "When? Maybe you misunderstood," he reasoned, determined to get his partner to see what he saw when it came to Eddie Janko.

Jamie wished he had. "Back when she went through everything with Springer," he replied.

"Really?" Vinny asked, still not willing to take his word for it.

"Yup," Jamie sighed, not wanting to rehash this whole thing. He'd accepted the rejection.

"Maybe that was just the stress of that situation," Vinny offered, trying to give his partner some hope.

"And even if it was, what am I supposed do, huh? Go up to her and say, 'hey, since that whole situation with Springer is done and over with, wanna go out?'" Jamie said with a hard shake of his head. "I can't do that, and anyway, she was clear about how she saw us."

"Man," Vinny sighed, dumbstruck by the fact that he could have been so wrong. "I totally misread her," he admitted as he stared out the window.

Jamie chuckled at his partner. "Come on, Vin. It's not like you're any good in the matchmaking department anyway."

Vinny frowned and his mouth dropped open at his partner's accusation. "Seriously? You're still holding Julia against me?" he asked.

"You were _way_ off on that one," Jamie snickered as he thought about the high-maintenance financial consultant.

"I hadn't even met her!" Vinny defended himself.

Jamie grinned at his lame comeback. "That makes it even worse," he pointed out as he looked out through the rain-splattered windshield.

Vinny smacked his lips and threw a dismissive wave at his partner. "Too bad. Eddie seems cool," he lamented.

"She is and it's fine. She's a good friend. That'll have to be enough," he replied. And it was, he guessed. Despite wanting more, he liked hanging out with Eddie and he wasn't willing to throw that away because his feelings weren't reciprocated.

* * *

Danny and Jackie were reporting to a homicide on a dreary fall morning near the precinct. They were making their way out of the squad car when Danny did a double, spotting a familiar face on the other side of the police tape. He stopped suddenly before deciding to take the opportunity to say a quick hello.

"Go on without me, Jack. I'll be there in a minute," he said over his shoulder as he head headed in the opposite direction.

"All right, see ya there," Jackie responded while walking to the alley between the two apartment buildings.

"Officer Janko?" Danny called out and came to a stop right in front of the yellow police tape.

"Yes," the petite blonde officer answered as she turned around in search of the gruff voice. Her TO had left her standing guard while he went off to parts unknown. Surprise flashed across Eddie's face when she recognized Jamie's brother. "Oh! Hey, Detective Reagan. It's good to see you," she greeted.

"You too," Danny responded with a small smile.

"I'm surprised this is the first time I've run into you. I haven't seen you around the precinct," Eddie commented.

"Yeah, well, big busy precinct and all. Feels like I'm out on the street most of the time. How's everything going?" Danny asked as he waved at her uniform before stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Eddie gave him a combination of a shrug and a nod. "Good. Getting used to it all. You know how it is," she replied as she adjusted her hat.

"That I do," he confirmed. "I'll have to let Jamie know I ran into you. You see him much lately?" he fished, still wondering about what, if anything, the pair had going on between them. His brother sometimes kept things locked up tighter than a bank vault. It was easier to go around him when he got like that. Danny was a detective and decided this warranted some investigating, even if it was just to fulfill his own curiosity.

"Here and there," she said, her eyebrows creasing slightly at the detective's question, but she continued on quickly. "Funny, he seemed a little nervous when he heard I got assigned to your precinct," she shared, grinning as she thought back to the look on Jamie's face when he'd learned of her assignment.

Danny's brow furrowed. "Nervous?"

Eddie smirked. "You probably have countless embarrassing childhood stories to share about him," she explained.

Danny laughed. "Oh, you got that right! We're gonna have to catch a bite one of these days, Officer Janko...the things I could tell you about that kid," he teased.

"Oh yeah?" she asked excitedly.

Danny leaned in toward her. "Next time you see him ask him about my coin collection," he said in a mock whisper.

Eddie gave him a funny look. "Coin collection?" she echoed.

"Just say those two words," Danny instructed and began walking backwards. "There's a whole story there I'm sure he'd love to tell you. See ya," he finished as he turned around completely and walked off toward his crime scene.

"Later, detective," Eddie said as she pursed her lips, wondering what that was about.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Jamie shuffled out of his bedroom, his joints popping audibly as he stretched his arms up to the ceiling and scratched his head as he brought them back down to his sides. He stepped over to the living room window and opened the curtains only to flinch as the bright afternoon sunshine hit his weary eyes. That quickly propelled him into the kitchen to get some coffee brewing in the hopes that it would give him the jolt he needed to get his day started. He and Vinny had worked extended midnight shifts the last few days. And that was on top of having to deal with a tragic murder-suicide at the housing complex where Vinny grew up, not to mention helping Danny nab a person of interest related to the event. Jamie was still having nightmares about the whole ordeal.

Once he got the coffee maker going, Jamie slouched across the counter in front of it, mesmerized by the steamy liquid as it filled the glass carafe. He was just starting to will the machine to brew the coffee a little bit faster when he was startled by a knock on his door. Jamie stood to his full height and wondered who could be visiting him at this time of day - most everyone he knew was at work or school in the middle of a weekday. It took a second knock to actually get his legs to carry him to the door and get an answer to his question.

Jamie peeked through the peephole and was surprised to see Eddie waiting patiently on the other side. He undid the locks and opened the door to greet her. "Hey. What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice raspy from disuse.

Eddie smiled brightly, seeing the surprise on his face and chuckled at his rumpled form. He still wore the t-shirt and sweats she assumed he slept in and his hair was sticking up in every direction. She could also swear there was a crease on his left cheek from his bed sheets. "Hello to you too," she chirped, before coming to a realization. The smile fell from her face and she grimaced. "Oh, crap. Did I wake you?" she asked, assuming from his appearance and the time of day that he might have worked overnight and she might have pulled him out of bed.

Jamie shook his head before he got his mouth to respond. He was still running in slow motion. "No, ah," he paused to clear his throat, "I just got up, but not because you woke me." He remained in place staring at her until he realized she was still standing in the hallway, looking at him expectantly, and finally motioned her in. "Come on in," he invited as he stepped to one side.

"Thanks," Eddie grinned as she walked into the apartment. She could hear the coffeemaker gurgling away and went over to the breakfast bar, scanning the living room on her way there. The wedding photo of him and Sydney caught her eye just as it had the first time she'd been here and a strange emotion she couldn't identify ran through her. Eddie dismissed it and placed a plastic bag Jamie hadn't noticed on the counter top while hanging her purse and jacket on the back of a bar chair.

Jamie resumed his position in front of the coffeemaker, but his attention remained on Eddie, secretly pleased she had come by. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied and went into the kitchen to lean against the counter across from him. "I thought I'd see what was up with you. You've been out of pocket the last few days. I called the Twelfth and they told me you weren't on duty," she explained, "so I thought I'd try my luck."

Jamie smiled apologetically and mimicked her stance as he leaned back casually as well. "Yeah, sorry. We've been working some long, crazy tours."

Eddie shrugged as she slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "I figured as much," she replied.

Jamie pursed his lips and gave her a curious look. "Were you missing my company, Janko?" he said lightly, while a part of him wished for an affirmative answer.

Eddie blushed, yet gave him an incredulous look. "You wish," she laughed shyly. "No, but I thought I'd just check in anyway," she added.

Jamie's brows wrinkled, not knowing what to make of her reaction, but he decided to just move along. The coffeemaker had grown quiet behind him and he turned to reach for a couple of mugs. "Want some coffee?" he offered.

"Sure," Eddie said as she pushed off the edge of the counter and stepped up next to him.

Jamie poured two cups of the hot brew, motioning to the creamer and sugar next to the machine. "Help yourself," he instructed.

"Thanks," she said as they each prepared their coffees in companionable silence.

Jamie was always happy to see her and it lifted his spirits to have her next to him after a tough few days. When he was done, he walked out of the kitchen and took a seat at the breakfast bar.

Eddie was climbing up onto a chair when she asked, "Are you working nights the rest of the week?"

Jamie sipped his coffee and brought the mug down onto the bar. "For the most part, except for the day tour I got on Sunday," he said as he turned to face her and slouched against the countertop.

"That's funny, I thought Sundays were sacred for the Reagans," Eddie commented as she cradled her mug with both hands.

He gave her a pointed look. "It's proof of what I've been telling you...no special consideration because of my dad," he replied as he brought his mug up for another sip.

Eddie could see a sadness in his eyes and brought up one of the reasons she'd come by. "I heard about the jumper at Bitterman," she said softly, wondering how he was dealing with all of that.

Jamie looked down at his cup and nodded. "Word gets around quick in the department," he said. He had seen the concern in her eyes and it warmed his heart to know she cared.

"It's also all over the news," Eddie pointed out.

"I wouldn't know - haven't had a second to turn on the TV."

"Wanna talk about it?" she offered.

Jamie rubbed a hand across his face and laid his arm along the edge of the counter top, his hand inches from Eddie's. "It was crazy. I don't even know how to describe it," he started.

Eddie stayed quiet to allow him a chance to speak. Jamie stared at a spot over her shoulder as he went through that night again, skipping over their encounter with the gang members on the way up to the roof of the building. "We get to the roof of this housing complex and see this girl - she wasn't even twenty years old - facing the edge ready to jump. Vinny and I get her attention and she turns to face us and she's holding this baby - her son." He finally met her eyes. "I don't think I'll ever forget the sight of her up there. I didn't know what to say, neither of us did. We both just begged her to get down, promised her our help but there really wasn't anything concrete we could offer her and she knew that."

Eddie's stomach clenched as he spoke. "I'm sorry," she said and placed her hand atop his, squeezing it gently.

Jamie reacted on instinct and turned his hand over to grasp hers back. It felt natural and the act went unnoticed by the both of them.

"Why?" she wondered. She couldn't understand doing that to yourself, let alone your child.

"The baby's father was in the gang that runs Bitterman - Los Lordes. They're some really bad guys. I guess she thought there would be no way out for her or her son, that he was destined to be like his father when he grew up," Jamie explained. He didn't fully understand it either, but he was familiar with the emotions of grief and despair.

He finally looked at her and Eddie's heart broke.

"So she jumped?" Eddie asked, unable to grasp the situation. It hadn't made any sense when she'd heard about it from her TO and then on the news.

"I don't agree with what she did, but she just had no hope, Eddie," he whispered back. Jamie blinked and turned away, thinking back to a time when he felt hopeless. And although he had never fallen so low as to consider something like that, he knew he was blessed to have his family - as meddlesome as they could be - to pull him through any situation. Nona didn't have family, except for her baby and a sister who was also wrapped up with Los Lordes. He could only imagine the depth of what the girl felt. Jamie considered his partner and how he had turned out and realized it always came down to family and a strong support system. "Vinny grew up there," he blurted out unexpectedly.

"At Bitterman?"

"Yeah."

"So there is hope. Vinny turned out great," Eddie argued.

"But she couldn't see that. She didn't have family to support her," Jamie shrugged. "Danny caught the case. I saw him at the scene and I actually helped him nab the baby's father," he added, switching gears slightly.

"Oh yeah?" Eddie asked, surprised to hear that.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

Seeing that he seemed ready to get his mind off that terrible night, Eddie switched topics completely. "Speaking of your brother, I forgot to tell you that I ran into him at a scene too - about a week ago," she shared and pulled her hand free from his to pick up her cup.

A tentative smile popped onto Jamie's face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Eddie replied, thankful to see a smile on his face despite the apprehension that accompanied it. "He asked me if I saw you much," she said.

Jamie dropped his head wishing he could strangle his brother - he knew what he was up to. "Don't mind him. He likes to stick his nose where it doesn't belong," he warned when he faced her again.

Ignoring his advice, Eddie smiled back and thought of something his brother had said. "Your brother told me to mention his coin collection to you. Why would he say that?" she asked.

Jamie cursed softly under his breath. "I'm going to kill him," he groaned.

Eddie laughed softly. "I sense a really good story there somewhere," she said.

Jamie pursed his lips, turning away to hide his rising blush.

"There is isn't there?! Spill, Reagan!" she demanded as she slapped his arm playfully.

"No," he refused while he fought to hide his embarrassment with the mug.

"Alright. I'll just have to tell your brother that I'll take him up on his offer to grab a bite together so I can get more dirt on you," Eddie threatened and took a casual sip from her cup.

Jamie's eyes widened in alarm as he drank his coffee, nearly spitting some out as he rushed to reply. "You wouldn't!?" he exclaimed.

"Not if you tell me what he meant!" Eddie bargained.

"Oh, jeez," Jamie sighed as he hid his face in his hands.

"I can't wait to hear about this!" Eddie said gleefully and reached for the plastic bag she had brought. "Come on, you can tell me all about it while we eat. I brought food."

"Of course you did, Janko," Jamie teased, hoping to steer the conversation in a different direction. "When are you not eating?"

"Oh, no! Don't start with that again! Focus!" she ordered. "I want to hear all about your involvement with your brother's mysterious coin collection," she prompted and placed a sandwich in front of him.

"Oh, God." Jamie took hold of the wrapped sandwich and frowned. "You're not going to let this drop, are you?" he lamented.

Eddie already had her own sandwich unwrapped. She picked up one half, leaned back in her chair and took a bite. "Start, Reagan," she instructed though a mouthful of the turkey club, one brow arched high just daring him to try and change the subject.

Jamie knew Eddie well enough to know she wouldn't let the subject drop and conceded with an exaggerated roll of his eyes as he unwrapped his breakfast. He begrudgingly began his tale of childhood hijinks. "When I was a kid..."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Jamie's eyes squinted against the late afternoon sun, focused on the fleeing figures ahead of him. His feet pounded mercilessly against the pavement, his jaw clenching tightly as he increased his efforts to catch up with his partner and their rabbiting perp. Vinny had spotted the young kid first, pointing out how he had been nervously glancing at them over his shoulder. As soon as the kid realized they were both eyeing him suspiciously, he snatched the purse off the nearest female and took off down the sidewalk with both officers in pursuit.

Jamie's stomach clenched as soon as he saw the purse-snatcher and his partner turning into the Bitterman Houses and yelled to get Vinny's attention. "Hey, Vinny...we need backup to go in there!" he panted. "Hold up!"

Vinny didn't let his partner's advice deter him. He was focused on the little punk who was leading them on a foot pursuit. "I got him, Reagan! I got him!" he yelled out to his partner.

Jamie cursed but knew there was no stopping Vinny when he was focused on nabbing a perp, so he reached for his shoulder mike instead. "12-George requesting a 10-85 forthwith. In pursuit...a male Hispanic...heading into the Bitterman Houses...we need backup." He could hear dispatch responding to his call for assistance but remained focused on his partner, running after him on the concrete walkway as the kid easily hurdled over a wrought iron fence with Vinny on his tail.

"Stop! Police!" Vinny yelled, but his orders fell on deaf ears.

The perp went left and disappeared from their sights for a few seconds as they came around the corner.

Vinny frowned when he came up on the quad and was unable to locate their purse-snatcher. "Where the hell did he go?" he asked as he slowed from a run to a trot on the grassy fenced-in area and scanned his surroundings. "Where is everybody?" he asked his partner when he realized the normally busy quad was eerily empty.

Jamie slowed his pace as well when he came down the ramp to meet his partner in the main area of the quad. His partner jumped from the elevated grassy area to meet him. Both looked around for any sign of their perp - for anyone, really - when the hairs on the back of Jamie's neck stood on end and his eyes narrowed at a sudden realization.

"Vinny, it's a set-up," he warned his partner as his eyes continued to scan the common area. He reached out with his hand to motion Vinny back as a strong urge to run settled in the pit of his stomach. "Come on," he ordered.

Suddenly, Jamie heard a pop of gunfire just as what felt like a Mack truck slammed into the right side of his chest, throwing him to the ground with a low guttural grunt. Jamie's hearing faded out as he struggled to get some air back in his lungs, but he could still feel the gunfire continue around him. His training kicked in and he rolled onto his hands and knees to scramble for cover while he called out to his partner in between gasps for air, "Vinny! Vinny!"

Jamie flinched with each shot that ricocheted off the ground, kicking up bits of concrete near his knee, one piece striking his cheek. His eyes widened in horror when they landed on his partner, lying almost motionless on his back. He was out in the open and unprotected while shots peppered the area between them. Vinny remained still, breathing rapidly and shallowly as dark red blood ran down the back of his hand where it pressed up against his side just below his vest.

Jamie acted on instinct and went back to his radio first. "Officer's been shot! Bitterman Houses! Main quad!" he yelled, knowing that there wasn't any more time to provide additional information. He then pulled his weapon and fired in the direction of their shooter, up on the roof of the building somewhere in front of them. When the figure drew back, Jamie made his move, reholstering his gun and scurrying low and over to his partner, sending prayers out to a merciful God that the gunfire was indeed over.

"Vinny, get up," he begged and grunted when he grabbed onto his partner's jacket near his shoulders, pulling him up. Jamie hauled Vinny back to cover slowly. His partner was too consumed by the pain of the gunshot wound to provide any assistance, but that didn't stop Jamie from begging him the whole time they were on the move. "Get up, man," he pleaded, hoping to rouse Vinny into action, but all he got in response were grunts and gasps with each sudden movement. "Get up, come on. Come on, get up," Jamie continued to beg through clenched teeth as he pulled him back - inch by inch - to cover.

"Okay, alright, I got you, it's okay," he babbled nonsensically as he laid his partner down along the concrete wall. Jamie crawled along side him and straddled Vinny's legs, leaning down low to remain protected himself and ignoring the continuous ache in his chest. Vinny was breathing shallowly, his eyes squeezed shut as his pale face remained frozen in a permanent grimace. "I got you," Jamie assured him and ran his eyes down Vinny's body, opening his jacket to assess his injury. Jamie's eyes widened when he spotted the dark, wet patch on Vinny's right side. "It's gonna be okay, Vin," he repeated as he pressed both hands down on the gunshot wound, apologizing when his partner yelped in response.

If Jamie weren't so focused on tending to his partner, he would have noticed the sound of approaching sirens coming from various directions. "Hey, hey, Vinny?"

Vinny groaned again at the blinding pain, trying, but unable to answer his partner.

"It's gonna be okay, alright?" Jamie muttered nervously, not knowing what else to do until help arrived. "Okay, hey, you're gonna be okay," he said more frantically. Deep down, Jamie was terrified at losing another brother to the job. "Hey, look at me," he pleaded, desperate to get some sort of response out of his partner. "Hey, look at me, Vinny! You're okay, all right?" he yelled, stopping to catch his own breath.

Vinny could hear the trembling in Jamie's voice and he knew he needed some sort of reassurance that he was okay. Still unable to get anything out, Vinny responded with the next best thing.

Jamie frowned at the expression on Vinny's face. "Hey, stop smiling," he told him. "Hey, look at me, man!" He couldn't understand why Vinny was grinning and it was scaring the hell out him.

The pained smile remained on Vinny's face. "It's okay," Vinny whispered. "It's okay, Reagan."

"What?"

Vinny looked at his partner through narrowed slits. He reached down and took hold of Jamie's wrist as he continued to painfully press down on his wound. "It's gonna be okay," he said and focused on Jamie in an effort to distract himself.

Jamie nodded. "It's okay, Vinny."

"Yeah," Vinny hissed through another wave of pain. "It hurts, man."

"I know. Help's coming. Help's on its way. Just stay with me," Jamie pleaded. He fought to ignore the feeling of Vinny's blood as it continued to seep, hot and sticky, through his fingers.

Vinny nodded and closed his eyes, squeezing Jamie's wrist as he tried breathing through the pain.

* * *

Frank Reagan felt sick to his stomach. One moment, he's sitting at the dinner table trying - but failing - to enjoy a meal with his family; the mess with the Bitterman Houses had been eating at him all week. And the next, he's getting a call from his DCPI that two of his officers had been shot there. And as if that weren't bad enough, to hear that one of the officers had been his youngest son had nearly brought him and the rest of the family to their knees. They had endured thirty endless minutes of terror until it was confirmed that Jamie had only been hit in the vest. By then, they had all been on their way into the city to get to Jamie. Erin had driven him, Nicky and Henry - Frank having refused to wait for his detail to arrive at the house - as she fought to keep up with Danny who drove Linda and the kids in their Jeep.

The ER waiting room at Bellevue had been full of officers and brass by the time he and the family arrived. Frank couldn't help the chill that ran down his spine as he walked through those doors. He'd been through this with countless other officer-involved shootings, but he was taken back to another heart-stopping emergency room encounter - when he'd had to endure the loss of a son. Frank had to remind himself that this was not the same; Jamie was going to be okay and he couldn't begin to describe what he was feeling.

Frank followed the nurse as she led him through the maze of the emergency department, along trauma rooms and treatment bays until she pulled the curtain of a small room to the side. Frank had eyes for his son only. Jamie sat dazed on top of a gurney, legs dangling over the side as he stared down at the floor. His uniform shirt was open at the front and even from where he stood, Frank could see a darkening bruise on the right side of his chest. He gave thanks again that Jamie had been protected by his vest.

Jamie looked up and met his father's worry-filled eyes. "Dad," he rasped.

Frank took a breath and pursed his lips at seeing his youngest up and talking. He approached the gurney and stopped in front of Jamie, reaching out to grip the back of his neck affectionately. "You okay?" he asked, his voice rough with emotion.

Jamie closed his eyes, grounding himself with his father's touch. "Yeah," he sighed. When he looked up again, he swallowed thickly and cleared his throat. "Vinny? Is he okay?" he inquired, afraid of what answer he would receive.

Frank could see the fear in Jamie's eyes and his hand moved down to squeeze his shoulder reassuringly - he wasn't ready to let go of his boy just yet. "He's on his way to surgery, but the doctor's think he'll be okay," he assured him. "They don't think the bullet caused any major, permanent damage, but they'll know more after surgery," he added.

"Thank god," Jamie whispered while he hunched forward to grasp the metal frame of the gurney next to his knees.

"What happened, Jamie?"

Jamie looked his father in the eye, his jaw clenching as he thought of the whole incident. "They set us up," he responded, feeling stupid that they'd let themselves run into something like that.

"Who?"

"Los Lordes," Jamie said dryly as he ran his hands up and down his face. "The purse snatcher had to be one of their guys - he was eyeing us and when we spotted him, he snatched a bag and gave chase, led us right into Bitterman," he said and paused as he went through the events of the afternoon in his head. "By the time we realized what was happening -"

"They were firing," Frank finished for him and he clenched his jaw in anger. Two of his men - his son - could have been killed. Frank was done playing games with the DA and the Mayor; he wouldn't allow any more bloodshed at Bitterman.

"Yeah," Jamie confirmed sadly. "Is everyone here?" he asked.

Frank nodded and released Jamie's shoulder. "They're all in the waiting room. You're brother was ready to storm back here to find you," he said with a tight smile.

One side of Jamie's mouth curled up...that sounded like Danny. "When can I get out of here?" he asked.

"You've already been discharged," he told him and patted him on the shoulder. "But you'll have to talk to the detectives before you can go home," Frank instructed.

Jamie forgot about protocol. They were going to want to talk to him as soon as possible to get the investigation rolling and he was fine with that. He wanted these guys caught more than anyone, but he didn't want to stray from the hospital until he knew his partner was okay. "I'd like to stick around and wait for word on Vinny," Jamie requested.

Frank smiled softly at his son. "I figured as much. The detectives can debrief you here. We'll have a few hours before the doctors will be done with him anyway."

Jamie slid off the gurney while buttoning his shirt. He'd been stripped of his vest, gun and duty belt back at the scene when the paramedics had done their initial assessment prior to transporting him to the ER. However, that didn't stop him from looking around, feeling like he was missing something. He leaned over to pat the large pocket on his right thigh, confirming that he hadn't lost his phone. He slipped his fingers under the flap and snatched the device out of the pocket.

He began to follow his father out of the treatment area when he glanced down at the phone and saw a text from Eddie. Jamie stopped in his tracks and brought it up on the screen:

 _Pls let me know ur okay_

Upon seeing her message, Jamie had a need to call and hear her voice, before he was mobbed by his family and investigators. He didn't know when he'd have another moment of peace.

Frank sensed that Jamie was no longer behind him and turned around.

Jamie looked up to find his father staring at him curiously. "Hey, dad? Can I get a minute? I need to call someone. I might not have a chance later," he explained.

Frank's brow furrowed. He was on the verge of asking who he needed to call - the whole family was outside waiting for him - until the image of a certain blonde rookie officer popped into his head. Frank nodded and smiled knowingly at his youngest. "I'll let them know you'll be right out," he said and headed back to the waiting room.

"Thanks, Dad," Jamie said as he pulled up Eddie's number on his phone and stepped back into the privacy of the treatment bay.


	16. Chapter 16

_Decided to pay it forward and post a second chapter today since LungTienXiang and goldengirl922 asked so nicely and Werks gave us the pleasure of 2 postings in one day with one (or maybe 2) of her stories._

 _I think this is what everyone was finally hoping for...please review and let me know your thoughts._ :)

Chapter 16

Eddie had been having a relaxing Sunday, puttering around her apartment after working swing the night before. She had the next few days off and had no plans other than running errands that she'd ignored because of her crazy, rookie work schedule and a rare Sunday dinner with Jamie who'd missed his customary weekend family meal because of a day tour.

Eddie had the radio playing in the background while she paid some bills online and was distracted when the DJ alerted listeners to stay clear of a certain area of the city because of a possible police involved shooting, but she'd missed part of the alert that identified the area to avoid. Eddie shut off the radio and turned the TV on to NY1, dropping onto her couch when she read the banner running across the bottom of the screen: _"Multiple_ _NYPD Officers Shot at Bitterman Houses."_

NY1 had only one reporter at the scene so far, set up along the police perimeter on Bedford Avenue. They repeated the same thing over and over, which was nothing - they had no information more than what they were flashing across the screen while alluding to a possible connection to recent tensions between the Department and the residents of the low income housing complex.

Eddie glanced at her cell phone where it sat silent on her coffee table as she thought of Jamie on patrol - this was all happening within the boundaries of his precinct. He'd already bared witness to tragic events at the complex and prayed he hadn't been involved in this incident. She picked up the phone and hit his speed button, cursing softly when the call went to voicemail after four rings. A wave of fear passed through her and instead of leaving a message, she opted to send him a text:

 _Pls let me know ur ok_

She couldn't think of anything else to say and she didn't know what to expect, certainly not a call from anyone but Jamie letting her know he was safe. "If he even thinks to call you," she thought sadly.

So, for the next hour, she sat glued to the television hoping to learn more details on the incident. She texted her partner at one point asking if they needed to do anything and if he knew who was hurt - he was a vet and would have a better chance at getting information than a rookie two months out of the academy.

He didn't respond immediately, but when he did, he wished he hadn't.

 _2 out of 12th, rumor is 1 possibly PC's kid, but no confirmation yet_

 _Nothing for us to do unless we're called in_

Eddie had felt sick upon reading his text, but focused on the fact that it wasn't confirmed yet - she forced herself to read that part over and over again. She continued to watch the news and nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone rang.

She grabbed the device as it vibrated along the surface of her coffee table and gasped when she saw the name on the caller ID. "Jamie!?"

"Eddie," Jamie sighed from the limited privacy of the emergency room.

Eddie's heart raced and she jumped out of her seat as a million emotions raced through her. "Jamie? Thank god! Are you okay? I was so worried," she replied in rapid succession.

"I'm fine," Jamie told her, feeling his nerves ease at the sound of her voice.

But Eddie was having trouble believing that as the news continued to show the massive police presence in and around Bitterman hours after the shooting. "Jamie, the news, they said two officers were shot. Tell me you and Vinny were no where near that," she begged.

"I wish I could," he replied.

"Jesus," she whispered and wondered about what he'd witnessed this time. "Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine, I swear. I got hit in the vest," he said and continued quickly when he could hear her gasp, "but I'm just sore. I'm not hurt."

"Who else got hit? Is Vinny..."

Jamie interrupted her to fill her in on his partner. "Vinny got hit in the side. He's in surgery but they said he should be fine."

"Oh my god, Jamie." Eddie ran her fingers through her hair, clenching them around the locks at the back of her head as she let that sink in. "I thought..." she trailed off, as a lump formed in her throat. She had let herself think the worst despite trying to stay positive.

"I know. I'm sorry," Jamie apologized as his head hung low, picturing her alone in her apartment. A swell of emotion for her ran through him.

Eddie took a calming breath. "Where are you?"

"I'm at Bellvue."

"So what happened?" she asked.

"We got ambushed. They planned it; this whole stupid thing was a set up and we ran right into the middle of it."

"Jesus," Eddie exhaled. "Do you want me to come down?" she asked without thinking, mentally slapping herself because she knew it wasn't her place - he probably had family there with him already. What could she possibly offer him by going there?

"I do, but it's crazy down here, Eddie. The whole precinct is probably camped out in the waiting room and there would be nothing for you to do." _Except hold my shaking hands,_ he thought. "I need to see what's going on with Vinny and then they want to debrief me. I have no idea what time I'll be done. I saw your text and I didn't want you to worry."

"Too late," she quipped with a nervous laugh.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

"Don't you dare apologize, Reagan. I'm just so relieved you're okay," she admitted.

"I guess I'll have to give you a raincheck on dinner, huh?" Jamie joked.

"And I'll hold you to it, Reagan," she said.

There was a pause as Jamie wished he could pass on protocol and hospital waiting rooms so that he could see her. He shook his head to focus on what still needed to be done before he could even consider seeing her. "I gotta go. The family's waiting outside. I just...I'll talk to you later."

Eddie hated to let him go, but knew he had more urgent things to deal with. "Okay."

The call disconnected and Eddie let herself drop back onto the sofa, feeling like she'd just run a marathon. She'd sat in a daze as the news continued on the screen. At this point there was nothing for her to do and she hated that. Eddie pulled herself away from the television - it would only drive her crazy to keep watching - and tried finding things to distract herself with, but failed.

By ten thirty, Eddie started getting ready for bed. She was walking through her living room turning off lights when there was a knock at her door. She looked across the room at the clock on the stove to confirm the time and frowned, unable to guess at who it could be without having been buzzed from the front door of her building. Eddie walked to the entryway and called out to her unknown visitor. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Eddie."

Eddie's eyes widened when she recognized the voice and opened the door quickly. "Jamie?" she gasped. He was the last person she expected to see tonight.

Jamie looked nervous with his hands hidden in his pockets and shoulders hunched forward. He shuffled from one foot to the other, unable to stand still. He'd left the hospital with no desire to go home to an empty apartment. That and he couldn't get Eddie off his mind since he'd spoken to her from the emergency room. There'd been something in her voice that contradicted what she had once told him and raised his hopes once more. Looking back at her now, he was certain he hadn't imagined it. "I know it's late, but I didn't want to go home," he whispered.

They both just stood there, nervously staring at each other, not knowing what to do.

Jamie decided that it was now or never, so he acted on instinct with his gut reassuring him that he hadn't misread her. He took a step forward and placed his hand on the swell of her hip, leaning in until their lips connected. It was soft and tentative at first, a brush of lips until a faint moan from Eddie encouraged him to deepen the kiss further. Jamie's hands went around her slim waist, as Eddie ran her own hands up his chest and around his neck. The feel of her fingers running through the hair at the back of his head caused Jamie to shiver. They savored every moment of that first kiss, knowing it was a promise for more.

If you asked either of them how long that first kiss lasted, neither would be able to answer. But Eddie broke away first when the need to catch her breath had become too great while also realizing they were practically standing in the hallway. She stood still with her eyes closed as she indulged in the feeling of their bodies pressed up against each other. "I was wondering when you were finally going to do that," she teased quietly.

Jamie laughed softly as he leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her and dropping his head into the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of her sweet perfume. He couldn't describe what it meant to be holding her so close.

Eddie withdrew from his embrace as the voices of her neighbors traveled down the hallway. "Come in," she said as she led him into the apartment by the hand and closed the door behind them.

"It's late," he said dumbly, still in a daze from the day's events.

"I don't care about the time. I'm just so glad you're here," she said while she watched Jamie slip out of his jacket. Her eyes ran up and down his form to reassure herself that he really was okay. "Have you had anything to eat?"

Jamie shook his head and hung his jacket over the back of a dining room chair. "Don't think I could stomach anything more than a stiff drink right now," Jamie replied through a tight smile.

Eddie smiled sadly in response. "I can manage that. Take a load off, okay?"

Jamie nodded and headed to her living room and sat down on the couch. He leaned forward and rubbed the palms of his hands against his eyes - fifteen hours after the start of his shift and Jamie was ready to put this day behind him. Jamie looked over when he felt the couch cushion dip next to him. He reached for the glass Eddie offered him and downed a finger of scotch in one fell swoop, enjoying the burn of the alcohol as it went down his throat.

Eddie's eyes widened when the spirit was gone quicker than it took her to serve it. "I can get you another," she offered, understanding his need to imbibe.

Jamie shook his head and placed his empty glass on the coffee table before leaning back against the soft cushions. "No," he sighed. "Just needed to take the edge off," he replied and reached for her hand.

Eddie set her glass down next to Jamie's - she wasn't much in the mood for it anyway. "How's Vinny?" she asked quietly.

"He's going to be fine, but I didn't get to see him after he got out of surgery."

"Thank god," she exhaled and shifted closer to Jamie, unable to quench her need to touch him. Eddie laid her head against his shoulder and sighed in contentment when she felt his lips drop a kiss against her forehead. "I'm so grateful you're okay, Jamie. I kept thinking the worst until you called," she admitted and lifted her head to face him.

Jamie caressed her cheek and leaned in for brief kiss. "Is this okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Eddie sighed. Her stomach fluttered at the need she saw in his eyes. She brought her hand up to his face and stroked it gently. "Stay with me tonight?" she whispered.

It had been a long time since something had felt this right. Jamie answered her question with a kiss that quickly went from sweet and gentle to passionate and desperate.


	17. Chapter 17

_Thanks for all of the nice reviews yesterday!_

Chapter 17

Jamie awoke a little disoriented, in a bedroom he didn't recognize at first and the the weight of a warm body snuggled along his left side as soft even breaths fluttering against his neck. Then the previous night flashed across his mind, causing Jamie to smile. It was crazy - their relationship had literally taken a complete one eighty overnight and he couldn't be happier.

Jamie lifted his head to check the time on Eddie's alarm clock. Satisfied that it was still early, he relaxed against the pillow and ran his left hand along Eddie's back, caressing her bare shoulder. His fingers ran up and down her soft skin. He was deep in thought over the events of the previous day until a gentle kiss was placed on his neck.

Jamie smiled and turned his head toward Eddie, nuzzling her forehead with his cheek. "Good morning," he whispered.

"Certainly is," she replied, smiling after he snorted at her comment. "For several reasons," she clarified. She was happy to have him in her bed, but more than anything, she was happier to have him safe and sound. Eddie eyed the angry bruise on his chest and ran her fingers along the unmarred skin around it. "Does it hurt?" she asked, her tone more solemn.

Jamie looked down to his chest. "Not so much anymore," he assured her while turning to face her, making sure to keep her pressed up against him.

Eddie closed the small gap between them and kissed Jamie soundly, pulling away after a moment to reveal a mischievous little grin on her face. "What are the chances I could convince you to stay in bed with me all day?" she asked.

Jamie's expression matched hers before he let out a groan of disappointment. "I'd say they'd be pretty solid if I didn't have to report to the precinct in a few hours."

"Too bad," Eddie pouted, but obviously understood the magnitude of yesterday's incident. It just didn't negate her desire to keep him safe with her.

"And I want to go by the hospital to see Vinny," he added.

"You should," she agreed.

Jamie smiled, still in disbelief that Eddie was here, lying next to him. "But I got some time," he said and kissed her again. Jamie pulled back and brushed some hair out of her face. "Is this too fast?" he worried again.

Eddie looked into his blue eyes. "Some would say it's about time...at least I would," she argued.

Jamie half shrugged as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. "I didn't think you were interested," he confessed.

Stunned by his comment, Eddie's brows arched upward. "Why would you think that? I was afraid I was starting to smell of desperation," she chortled.

Jamie's brow wrinkled in confusion. "Well, you said so yourself," he countered.

Eddie's head jutted back in surprise. "What? When?" she puzzled, unable to imagine ever making such a statement considering her feelings for him.

"Back when everything happened with Springer," he alluded.

Eddie stiffened despite the confusion that remained on her face.

Jamie took note of her discomfort at the mention of Springer's name but forged on, pulling her closer to him. "You really don't remember?"

Eddie shook her head, waiting for him to continue.

Jamie lowered his hand to the small of her back and left it there. "You said...you said that we got together for 'drinks and studying, but that didn't make your personal life fair game,'" he reminded her. "I figured that's just how you saw us."

Eddie thought back to that time and her eyes dropped to the bruise on his chest. "Jamie, I...," she trailed off sadly, hating the way she had pushed him away during that time. "I didn't mean that," she swore. "Back then," she paused for a sigh before continuing, "I was angry and embarrassed and I took it out on you when all you wanted to do was help."

Jamie nodded in understanding. "I just took you for your word and considering what you went through, I didn't want to force myself on you, Eddie," he explained.

"Ditto," Eddie responded when she met his eyes again.

Jamie looked at her quizzically.

"Considering what you went through with Sydney and everyone pressuring you to date again, I didn't want to push you either," she clarified.

Jamie smiled and shook his head at the irony. "Wow. We make quite a pair," he told her.

"Yeah, we do," she confirmed with a bright smile.

"Better late than never, right?"

Eddie's pursed her lips and pulled his face to hers, kissing him deeply as if to make up for lost time.

* * *

"You're blushing!" Vinny teased from his slightly elevated position on the hospital bed. Despite being shot in the gut, Vinny was looking a lot better than Jamie expected. He was hooked up to an IV, a few monitors and, most importantly, a machine that dispensed pain medication at the push of a button. And apparently he had pushed said button just before Jamie's arrival because he was feeling no pain at the moment. There were dark smudges under his eyes and he looked drawn out but was otherwise back to his old self and sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

After they'd said their hellos and exchanged awkward expressions of relief over each other's well being in typical gruff, macho-guy fashion, Vinny had easily picked up on a change in Jamie. After the scare from the day before, Vinny found his demeanor surprisingly light, more peaceful, and happy, even, but not the happy from surviving a close call. So he promptly steered the conversation to one he brought up frequently with his partner: the female officer Jamie claimed was only a friend. The medication had done nothing to dull his keen observation skills.

"I am not," Jamie argued even though he could feel his cheeks flush. He squirmed in the visitors chair, wishing that Vinny's family would return from the cafeteria and interrupt this conversation.

"Yes you are," Vinny confirmed as he waved the arm not tethered to the IV over at his partner. "Are you two finally seeing each other?" he asked and squinted at Jamie as he tried to pick up on his other tells. Vinny knew Jamie Reagan well enough to know he was a terrible liar.

Jamie sighed and figured he might as well confess or Vinny would continue to interrogate him for the rest of the visit. "Yes," he said begrudgingly, clearly leaving out just how recently they considered themselves an item.

Vinny reached over and bumped the back of his hand against Jamie's knee. "Good for you, man," he said. No wonder he seemed so at ease after everything they went through yesterday. It was good to have someone special at a time like this.

Jamie glanced at his grinning partner and clamped his mouth shut as he fought to hold back the smile that wanted to spread across his face. This is what he'd wanted - and apparently Eddie too - he just hoped it didn't change the dynamic between the two of them. "It's still new," Jamie warned. "We'll see how it goes," he cautioned, worried that it might be too good to be true.

Vinny nodded as he smirked at his friend. "She seems cool. It'll be fine," he assured him.

"Yeah," Jamie agreed, vowing to stay positive and enjoy his time with Eddie. He hadn't felt so comfortable with anyone since Sydney died and a part of him was worried that it would all get messed up somehow. It was a fear that had remained since the accident - that something new and good could very easily be ripped away from him again.

* * *

 _A little family fun in the next chapter, until Frank puts his foot down._


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Danny juggled a large and heavy foil-wrapped bundle, a thick stack of napkins and a paper cup filled to the brim with the sickly-sweet coffee he loved so much as he made his way down the sidewalk to the squad car parked along Sixth Avenue. It had been several weeks since the Bitterman ordeal, since Santana and his crew had been taken down for the attempted murder of Mayor Carter Poole and two NYPD officers, just to mention a few of the long list of charges that were pending against them. Life had returned to normal, which for Danny Reagan meant pinning down a witness in one of his many major crimes cases on a chilly fall Saturday night with his partner at his side while trying to squeeze in a missed meal whenever time allowed. And lucky for them, that time was now.

Danny placed his cup on the hood of the car and quickly unwrapped the over-loaded gyro he'd just purchased from a food truck up the block, his mouth watering and his stomach rumbling as he peeled back the foil in anticipation of his first real meal of the day. He eagerly took his first bite out of the sandwich and closed his eyes in ecstasy as he savored his late night dinner. "Hmmm, so good. Wanna bite, Jack?" he offered around a mouthful of food, holding that sandwich out in her direction.

His partner stared back at him, a little afraid that she'd have to perform the Heimlich after he swallowed the massive quantity of food in his mouth. "No thanks, I'll just stick to my pretzel," Jackie said and leaned against the side of the squad car next to Danny, picking at her own meager dinner while she kept an eye on him for possible signs of distress. "You know you're gonna smell like onions the rest of the night, right?" she complained.

Danny swallowed uncomfortably and looked back at Jackie. "I'll eat a mint," he promised.

"You're gonna need more than one. Make sure you roll the windows down on the way back to the precinct too," Jackie ordered and smirked at the eye roll her partner gave her. "What time are we supposed to meet this guy again?"

"His boss said he starts work at ten," Danny replied as he pulled on one of the many napkins wedged under his coffee cup.

"He better have something good for us," Jackie said as she turned to reach for her own cup of coffee on top of the squad car.

"You don't like being out with me on a Saturday night, Jack?" Danny asked with feigned hurt.

Jackie smiled as she observed the pedestrians across the street and the small group of people forming a line at a theater's ticket window. "As charming as you are, no," she answered. "You're not exactly my type. Plus Linda would probably hunt me down if I tried something," she said with a grimace.

"True that," Danny replied, smirking momentarily as he thought of his beautiful wife. But he didn't waste any time diving back in for a bite larger than the last.

Jackie squinted at the crowd across the street, spotting a familiar face under the theater's bright lights. "Hey, isn't that one of the new rookies from the precinct?"

"Where?" Danny asked as he twirled around.

"The blonde across the street in front of the theater in the tan coat. Looks like she's waiting on someone. I can't remember her name...," Jackie said as she pointed her finger in the theater's direction and pursed her lips in contemplation. The blonde stood in front of the box office with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her coat while she scanned the people walking up and down the block.

Danny narrowed his eyes as he located the blonde in question, trying to get a good look at the woman from this distance. "She does look familiar," he said as he tried placing her. His eyes widened a second later when it hit him. "Oh, yeah. Hardly recognized her out of uniform and with her hair down - she cleans up nice," he commented. "Jamie knows her, actually. He says she's a friend," he advised as he turned back around to finish his dinner. "Her name's Eddie Janko," Danny mumbled with another mouthful of the gyro as he reached up to wipe away the sauce that was dribbling down his chin.

Jackie kept her eyes on the rookie. "Yeah? How does he know her?" she asked, curious as to what was new with her partner's brother.

Danny kept eating as he answered. "Helped her out...while she went through the academy...or something," he replied as he swallowed another bite of food. "I don't know, the kid keeps everything a secret," he shrugged and kept eating.

After a minute or so, Jackie grinned while her eyebrows arched up into her forehead at what she now spotted going on across the street. "Oh, yeah. I'd say he probably helped her out with more than just the academy," she snorted.

"Huh?" Danny grunted.

Jackie chuckled and motioned towards the theater again. "Isn't that your brother making out with her?" she asked.

Danny's head snapped up at his partner before he spun around for a look. "What!? Where!?" he barked.

"Take a look for yourself," Jackie told him. The grin remained on her face as she continued observing the couple.

The gyro was finally forgotten as Danny's hand dropped onto the hood of the car. His eyes scanned the foot traffic across the street, finally catching a glimpse of blonde hair again as the passing pedestrians cleared the sidewalk. Once everyone was out of the way, he saw that the blonde, Eddie, was in fact being given a _very_ friendly greeting by his brother.

Whoa.

Danny watched, unable to pull his eyes away from the scene across the street. They were kissing, arms wrapped around each other, after which Jamie pulled away and said something that made her laugh. Eddie then grabbed a hold of his hand and led him over to the ticket line where they stood closely next to each other, arm in arm, chatting as they waited. Even from across the street, Danny saw something on Jamie's face that he hadn't seen in almost two years: happiness.

Jackie looked back at her partner, amused by the shock on his face. "You look surprised, Reagan," she stated.

Danny's eyes remained glued on the young pair. "I am," he confirmed.

"Well, they look good together. It's been a while for him, huh? Getting over Sydney and everything?" Jackie asked. She turned around and leaned casually against the side of the car to nibble on her pretzel.

"Yeah," he responded dumbly with a nod.

"You should be happy for him," she suggested.

Danny shrugged and shook his head. "I am, but like you said, it's just a surprise. Everyone's been trying to get him to date again. I kinda suspected she was more than a friend, but I had no idea he was actually dating anyone," he explained. Jamie was a serial monogamist by nature and Danny knew that what he was witnessing wouldn't be a casual fling for his bother, especially after all that he went through with Sydney. Danny was still facing the theater but went back to absentmindedly eating the rest of his dinner.

Jackie huffed out a short laugh. "Well, maybe he just needed to do it on his own terms. There's nothing worse than having your whole family involved in your love life. No offense, I'm sure you all mean well, but you Reagans are an intimidating bunch." Jackie took another glance at the couple over her shoulder. "Good for him."

"Yeah," Danny agreed. His shock then turned into a wide, toothy and devious smile.

Jackie eyed him suspiciously. "What's with the look, Dr. Evil?"

Danny wiggled his brows as he turned back around and went in for more food. "Dinner's going to be fun tomorrow," he declared.

Jackie shook her head and sighed. "Poor kid. I should have kept my mouth shut," she lamented.

Danny wrapped what little was left of the gyro in its wrapper. "Come on. Let's go find this joker," he said as he took one last peek at his little brother.

* * *

Danny followed Linda and the kids into the kitchen of his father's house and flung a bag of groceries carelessly onto the counter.

"Careful! There are eggs in there!" Linda admonished as she checked on the carton, rolling her eyes at her overly eager husband.

"Is the kid here?" Danny whispered instead of greeting his father, grandfather and sister who were already working hard on dinner. He stood at the kitchen island and looked behind him to peak into the sunroom and then turned to glance into the dining room in search of Jamie.

"No," Henry whispered back and looked up from the pot he was stirring to glance curiously at his oldest grandson.

"Good," Danny proclaimed loudly as a smug smile appeared on his face.

Linda smirked at his expression, already knowing where he was going. Danny had filled her in as soon as he'd woken up that morning on what he saw the night before.

"Why's that good?" Frank asked.

"I needed to fill you in on what I saw last night," he started.

Erin grinned. Something good was coming because her brother seemed ready to burst. "What'd you see?"

"Jamie and that Eddie rookie," Danny revealed.

Erin dropped the knife in her hand and directed her complete attention to Danny. "Shut up! Really?! Where?" she asked first.

"Out in front of the IFC Center," he advised.

"So?" Frank asked as he walked to the cupboard.

"So? So, they were looking pretty cozy," Danny hinted with raised eyebrows.

"Cozy as in..." Erin prompted.

"As in sucking face," Danny stated crassly.

"Get out!" Erin exclaimed.

Frank grimaced at his son's description, but then couldn't help smiling at the irony. He was sure that Jamie never would have expected to get caught being affectionate with a woman on a busy Manhattan sidewalk while another family member observed from a distance, like he'd done that night he spotted him with Kelly. "I'm sure it wasn't as crude as you're describing," he said as he walked back to the island.

"It's true! Ask Jackie. She saw it too," Danny swore.

"No kidding? Good for Jamie," Henry said and turned back to the stove.

"I can't wait until he gets here," Danny said with a mischievous grin.

Frank dropped the utensils in his hand and looked at his kids. "Now, hold up. No one will bring this up when he gets here," he ordered, feeling protective of Jamie and this alleged romance with his friend, if Danny was right about what he saw that is.

Danny frowned at his father. "What?! Why not?!" he shouted.

"Because, if it's not something he's ready to share with us yet, it's probably new and he's feeling things out," Frank reasoned. He spoke from experience.

"He was certainly feeling her out," Danny mumbled under his breath which caused Erin to snort.

"Danny," Linda warned lightly.

Frank gave his son a pointed glare. "I mean it."

"He's right," Henry chimed in. He wanted to see Jamie happy again, was seeing it, actually, now that he thought about it. Jamie had been different over the past several months and he wouldn't want anything to get in the way of his happiness, even if it was just a little good-natured ribbing from the family. But god knew that with this bunch, even that could be a little much sometimes.

"That's the whole reason I was looking forward to this dinner," Danny whined as he threw his arms up in the air in frustration.

"The only reason?" Erin fired back with mock insult.

Just then, the kitchen door opened and Jamie stepped through. "Hey," he greeted the group.

"Hey, Jamie," Henry replied.

Frank, Erin and Linda gave him warm smiles as Danny scowled.

Jamie frowned at his brother as he pulled off his jacket. "What's wrong with you?" he asked as he came to a stop in front of him.

"Nothing. Your father's a killjoy," he grumbled. If Danny was honest with himself, he could admit that he agreed with what his father was saying. He knew how hard losing Sydney had been on Jamie and would have given anything to ease his grief. Danny couldn't blame him for being a little gun-shy with a new relationship or even wanting to keep it under wraps for a while. But it didn't mean he was happy to pass on an opportunity to torment his kid brother.

Jamie turned to his father with a questioning look.

"Ignore him," Frank said. "You know how he gets when he doesn't get his way."

"Like a petulant two-year old?" Jamie chortled.

"Yeah, like that," Erin snickered, secretly pleased for her little brother. She resumed her kitchen duties, peaking over at Jamie with a small smile.

"I need a beer," Danny muttered in disappointment and walked away from the group.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Veteran Officer Charlie Notaro pulled the radio car up along the curb of West Eighty Fourth Street east of Amsterdam Avenue and shut off the engine so he and his partner could enjoy a quick meal before they had to radio back into service. He pushed his sunglasses off his face and onto the top of his head, cracking the window open to let in some of the brisk fall air as he looked expectantly at his partner.

Eddie was rummaging around the inside of a white paper bag and pulled the first of two large sandwiches wrapped tightly in parchment paper. She glanced at the writing on the wrapper and held it out to her left. "Turkey pastrami, extra mayo for you," she announced as she gave Notaro the brick-sized hoagie while digging for her own roast beef on whole wheat with her other hand.

"Thanks," he replied and promptly unwrapped his lunch.

They ate quietly for a few minutes, each one enjoying the few moments of peace after a busy morning tour.

Notaro was halfway through his meal when he glanced at Eddie who was washing down her lunch with a long sip from her coffee cup. He lowered his sandwich and decided now was as good a time as any to bring up something that had started floating around the department. "So word around the precinct is that you're dating the PC's kid," he mentioned casually as he wiped his hands with a napkin.

Eddie was caught off guard by the unexpected statement, her cup dropping from her mouth so quickly, a few drops of coffee dribbled down her chin and threatened to stain her uniform. She dabbed a napkin across her lips and cleared her throat before meeting her partner's eyes. "Yeah?" she asked with a hesitant smile and a light blush on her cheeks. "Where'd you hear that?"

Notaro snorted at the look on his partner's face - like that of a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "Just in case you haven't noticed, the NYPD is worse than a high school full of hormonal teenagers when it comes to scuttlebutt and works faster at getting the word out too," he warned. "So it's true?" he asked curiously.

Eddie cleared her throat again nervously as she wrapped up the remaining half of her sandwich, her appetite suddenly gone. "Yeah, I mean, we're seeing each other, but we're not exactly advertising it to the world," she advised, eyeing her partner to gage his reaction. "We're not hiding it either," she shrugged. "Is that a problem?" she wondered out loud. Up until now, she and Notaro hadn't had very many conversations about their personal lives while killing time on tour. So the fact that he was bringing this up now - out of the blue - made her think he had a specific reason for doing so.

Notaro's lower lip jutted out as he shook his head. "No. Of course not. Not for me, anyway," he replied as he set aside the remnants of his lunch and turned slightly to the right. "Listen, Eddie, you're a good kid and I'm telling you right now that you have what it takes to be a damn good cop, but people love to talk and assume things that aren't true, especially when it makes for juicy gossip to fill their pathetic lives," he said and paused to make sure she was paying attention. "The NYPD, even though it's changed over the years, can still be the good 'ole boy's club it once was. And the gossip concerning the female officers can be a little more crass than the rumors that get spread around about the guys. I just don't want you to get blindsided or hurt by some of the things people might say, especially since you're a female rookie cop who's suddenly dating the commissioner's son."

Eddie could only stare at him with wide eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. He wasn't kidding, this _was_ like high school all over again. "Is that what people think? That two months out of the academy, I'm dating Jamie Reagan to get to the top or something?" she asked in utter disbelief.

Notaro grimaced at her PG-rated interpretation as he recalled how he'd actually heard the rumor phrased in the locker room. He'd shut down the discussion pretty soon after it began, but it was out there and he thought his partner should at least be forewarned before she actually heard any talk herself. "They're putting it a little more crudely than that, and..." he paused to cough nervously, now wishing he hadn't brought this up, but he knew it was the right thing to do.

Eddie's eyes widened even further, which Notaro didn't think was possible. "And!?" she urged him along. "What exactly are they saying, Notaro?" she demanded.

Notaro inhaled deeply. "Just, you know, that you got your hooks into him real easily becuase he's got the whole the sad widower thing going on," he confessed.

"Jesus," Eddie gasped, turning to stare out through the windshield before snapping back around to face her partner. "Do you believe that?" she inquired, hoping he knew her well enough in the few months they'd been riding together to know she wasn't that type of person. But then another thought popped into her head that caused her stomach to roll: had Jamie heard that rumor? Would he believe something like that?

"Of course not!" Notaro exclaimed and looked her in the eyes to make sure she knew he was being sincere. "I know we haven't been riding together a long time but I can tell you're a stand-up person, Janko. And I know of Jamie Reagan too. His sergeant at the Twelfth and I came on to the force together and he thinks highly of him. He was his TO for two years and if you know Renzulli, thats saying a lot. I just wanted to give you the heads up."

Eddie nodded, believing every word he said, but it was still upsetting that people were saying something like that about her and Jamie, belittling what she thought was a pretty good thing they had going on. "Okay. Thanks, I guess," she said distractedly as everything swirled around in her head.

"Listen, I'm sorry if I upset you," he apologized. "You're personal life is none of my business. I just didn't want you to get blindsided but it."

Eddie shook her head and smiled tightly. "No, Notaro, don't apologize. I appreciate you trying to watch my back," she replied, grateful to have a partner who would do that both on and off duty.

* * *

Jamie and Eddie strolled up along New York's High Line, appreciating the deep reds and golds of the park's carefully designed landscape. They were making good use of a rare day off that they both managed to land during the week. Eddie had convinced Jamie to make it a lazy day, free of the schedules, chores and stresses that normally filled their lives. If there was one thing that Eddie was learning quickly about her boyfriend, it was that he hated to waste a minute of the day when he could be spending it being productive somehow. But it hadn't taken much to convince him to spend the day the way she wanted as Jamie had benefited from letting the morning pass lounging in bed with his very persuasive girlfriend.

After they'd dragged themselves out of Eddie's apartment and ventured outside, she had led them on a crusade to a hip, new burger place in the Meatpacking District. Jamie had gone along with it, knowing not to get in between Eddie Janko and the food she was craving. His only request - after they'd stuffed themselves silly - was that take a leisurely walk on the High Line to both get some exercise after a glutonous meal and to enjoy a uniquely New York landmark on a beautiful fall day while the rest of the city hustled through another hectic workday.

Although Eddie had been in good spirits, Jamie had found her somewhat pensive at times. As they walked along the path, hand in hand, Jamie glanced over at her, noticing the same faraway look he'd seen several times since he'd arrived at her apartment the night before. And one thing he had learned about his girlfriend, from even before he considered her his girlfriend, was that if something was troubling her, it would take some pushing to get her to talk about it. "What's up with you, Janko?" he asked.

Eddie kept walking along, turning confused eyes onto Jamie. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You're distracted," he said while giving her hand an affectionate squeeze. "Come on, Eddie. The only time you're ever quiet is when something's bugging you, so what gives?" he asked with a gentle smile, wanting her to know that she could open up to him about anything.

Eddie sighed and stared straight ahead as she thought about her conversation with her partner. She knew Jamie was no dummy and if her intentions were anything but genuine, he'd see that right away and wouldn't be with her now. But knowing that didn't stop her insecurities from rising to the surface and she worried that an ugly rumor could ruin everything somehow. When she glanced at Jamie, she saw the concern on his face. "You know I really like you, right?" she asked with some trepidation.

Surprised by her question, Jamie came to a sudden stop, his arm pulling Eddie back while she continued walking. "I would certainly hope so," he laughed nervously. "Should I be worried?" he asked with some hesitation. His stomach clenched when that old familiar feeling resurfaced - the one that told him to be careful of the doom that could be lurking around every corner.

Eddie shook her head emphatically, not wanting him to get the wrong impression. "No, it's just...," Eddie trailed off, unsure of how to explain everything to him while also completely embarrassed by the whole situation.

Jamie could see the battle raging in her mind and the discomfort it caused her. He led her over to the side of the trail and to a nearby bench. "Come on, let's take a load off," he said while taking a seat. Eddie sat right up against him and Jamie's arm easily went around her shoulders. "What's going on?" he asked softly and reached across his body take hold of her hand.

"Just something that Notaro said keeps going through my mind," she admitted as she looked down to where their hands lay on her lap, fingers intertwined with each other.

 _Her partner?_ he wondered _._ "What'd he say?" Jamie prompted.

Eddie chewed on the inside of her cheek as she contemplated how best to tell him. "So, I guess word's getting around that we're dating," she began slowly.

Jamie's brow creased. He knew how bad the department gossips were; he'd been fodder for many a rumor already, mainly because of who his father was and because of what had happened with Sydney. Overall, no one really had a pass from being the subject of department gossip. "Okay, well, that's no surprise. There's nothing people in the department like to do more than spread gossip," he told her. "Did you not want people to know about us?" he asked, thinking that maybe she preferred to keep their relationship a secret for some reason.

"No, it's not that, it...Notaro warned me that some of the talk is that I'm sleeping with you just because you're the PC's son," she said quickly, the idea of it making her cringe in his arms.

"Seriously?" he said with some relief as one corner of his mouth curled up into a smile; he had been expecting something worse. That was obviously a totally unfounded and ridiculous rumor to spread, which was why people were talking. He didn't appreciate that it was Eddie's integrity that was being questioned, but he knew there wasn't much they could do to fight the department gossips. "That's just stupid, Eddie. Is that what's bothering you?"

Eddie was confused by his question. "Well, yeah! How can that not bother me?! Apparently I'm some floozy who's got her hooks into the lonely widower just so I can climb some ladders!" she said a little louder than neccessay as her arms waved around in frustration. Then she froze, grimacing when she realized how she had just described Jamie to his face. She turned to face him with a look of regret; she had planned to leave that part out, but seemed to lose her filter when she got upset.

Jamie's expression was hard to read. He knew there was talk about him after his wife's death, and to be honest, he wasn't surprised to hear that some were describing him that way. "Wow, so you're the floozy and I'm the pathetic widower? We make quite a pair," he smirked.

Eddie was thrown off by his reaction and her face fully reflected that. "Don't joke about this," she ordered.

"Why would you let that upset you?" he replied with a shrug.

"Because, if everyone else is saying that, then what are you thinking?" she asked. A second later her eyes widened as she realized who else could hear about this. "And what if all that gets back to your brother and father? What are they gonna think, Jamie?"

Eddie was looking off into the distance when Jamie reached up to gently turn her head in his direction. "I'm not thinking that nor would I ever," he assured her as soon as they made eye contact. "And if it gets back to my dad or Danny, they won't either," he confirmed.

Eddie knew he was telling her the truth and it eased her fears. She nodded subtly and gave him a small smile in return. "Does your family even know about us?" she asked curiously.

Jamie looked down at his lap as he answered, "No. At least I don't think so." When he looked at her again, he could see the question in her eyes and took a deep breath before explaining himself. "It's not that I don't want to, it's just that," he paused as he sorted the thoughts in his head, "I haven't been with anyone since Sydney and I guess I just wanted you to myself for now. This part was still kind of new and I didn't want the interrogations that come from my family with anything and everything having to do with my personal life, especially after the accident." Jamie kept his eyes focused on her face, hoping that she would understand.

Eddie nodded and squeezed his hand. "They probably just worry," she offered.

Jamie snorted. "I'm sure they do, but they're relentless. Maybe it's because we're a family of cops, but everyone's gotta know everyone else's business. You'll see what I'm talking about."

"I hope to someday," Eddie replied, hoping that didn't sound too forward. She was enjoying their time together and hoped she'd have a chance to get to know more about what made Jamie Reagan tick and she knew that meant getting to know his family. He had what seemed like a pretty perfect one, despite his arguments to the contrary, one that was far from the type of family she had.

Jamie smiled before moving in to kiss her. "You will. I promise," he whispered.

* * *

 _Last chapter up tomorrow morning..._


	20. Chapter 20

_Last Chapter. Trying to see if I can put together an epilogue, maybe some football with Eddie and the boys. :)_

Chapter 20

Jamie looked over his shoulder at the clock on the stove and cursed softly. Eddie would be at his apartment soon and he still had a few things to do before dinner would be ready. He grabbed a pot from the lower cabinet and filled it with water, quickly placing it on the back burner to get the water boiling for the pasta before moving on to the eggplant parmesan he was putting together.

He hadn't seen Eddie all week because of their work schedules, so he had invited her over for a home cooked meal and a quiet night in on what was the first night they both had off together. He and Vinny had put in some long tours and on top of that, his only day off during the week had fallen on the two year anniversary of Sydney's death. The day had obviously been on his radar, but unlike a year ago when its approach and subsequent arrival only intensified the grief and loneliness that had enveloped him, this year he found it to be his opportunity to acknowledge a few things that he'd been afraid to admit: that Sydney would not have wanted him to shut himself off from the rest of the world as some sort of homage to her and that he wasn't betraying her by moving on and opening himself up to someone else. It only took about two years, countless nights in with his father and grandfather - understanding that they all shared that common, tragic bond had helped him hear their words of advice - and one spunky, rookie NYPD officer to show him the way.

Jamie had made the drive up to Connecticut late in the morning on the day of the second anniversary to visit Sydney's grave in her hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. He'd made the same drive a year ago and like then, he'd done it alone despite the offers from every adult member of the family to accompany him. Back then, he'd been doing a terrible job of hiding his emotions, but still hoping everyone believed his charade - that he was healing and moving on. Everyone that knew him saw through it, but most didn't know how to help and he had been grateful for that because he hadn't been ready to accept it anyway.

His eyes had misted over as soon as they ran across Sydney's name on the large granite headstone. After placing a bouquet of her favorite roses on her grave, he stayed there for some time, praying and talking to her in his mind. He hoped she knew that he would always love her and that no one would ever replace her, but he was ready now to move on to a new chapter in his life. It had been cathartic and the tears he shed had helped strengthen his healing heart.

After the drive home, Jamie had walked into his darkened apartment and stopped in the entryway as a sudden sense of deja vu passed through him. He had frowned when he realized that it came from that same feeling of loneliness he'd get coming home every night to a dark, desolate apartment after Sydney passed. He hadn't felt that way for several months - since he first met Eddie. It may have taken them some time to finally get together, but just having her friendship in the beginning had been enough to bring a little light into his life.

Jamie looked around his small kitchen to see what he had left to do. He already had the pasta cooking in the pot of boiling water and placed the eggplant in the oven. He was reaching for a bottle of wine when a knock sounded at the door. "Right on time," he said to himself as he left the kitchen.

Eddie's bright smile greeted him as soon as he opened the door. "The smell in the hallway better be coming form this apartment, Reagan," she warned.

"Could be, but Mrs. Hogan down the hall is a pretty darn good cook," he smirked. His elderly neighbor had taken a personal interest in making sure he was fed from time to time after she had learned he was a widower via his gossipy landlord. Lately, after catching Eddie coming and going from his apartment on several occasions, she would just smile knowingly at him whenever they saw each other in the building.

"Hi," Eddie greeted Jamie properly and took a few steps towards him, going up onto her tip toes to kiss his lips.

"Hi back," Jamie whispered in between soft kisses. "Missed you this week," he said while returning the warm hug Eddie had pulled him into.

"Me too," Eddie smiled as she released him.

Jamie couldn't wipe the grin off his face and placed his hand on the small of her back as he guided her further into the apartment. "Come on. I'd ask if you brought your appetite but I know better than to ask stupid questions," he said.

Eddie pursed her lips to hide her amusement. "You promised me a home cooked meal so you better be ready to feed me," she stated while placing her bag and jacket on a living room chair.

"Don't worry. I am," he promised as he stepped back into the kitchen and uncorked the wine.

Eddie was welcomed into the kitchen with a glass of wine after which Jamie went back to work. "Mmm, that's good," she said after her first sip of the cab, her eyes widening at the sight of him moving about the kitchen with such ease. "Wow, Jamie. You made all this?" she asked as she looked around the kitchen at the simmering pots and then over at the dining room table which was set for two. "I'm kinda impressed. Most of the guys I've dated barely knew how to make toast."

Jamie smiled proudly as he took a sip from his glass. "My dad and grandpa always said you needed to know how to cook at least one good meal for a girl," he explained.

"Yeah? They sound like smart men. And...," Eddie paused as she opened the oven door to peak at what was baking inside, both impressed and surprised when she identified the contents of the sheet pan, "eggplant parm is that meal?" she said in astonishment.

Jamie shrugged. "It's a variation. Actually, my grandpa always said the meal should be linguini with garlic and oil, a simple salad and good bread," he recited from memory.

Eddie looked over at the table and then into the small pot of simmering marinara sauce. "I see the salad and bread. What happened to the garlic and oil?" she wondered.

Jamie gave her a sly grin as he took the larger pot off the stove and dumped the cooked noodles into the colander he had placed in the sink. "I then learned that it's not as much fun having to covertly pop mints after that dinner to make out with the girl," he explained.

Eddie laughed, but agreed with that observation. "Good point."

Jamie turned to pull the eggplant out of the oven and began plating their meals as Eddie looked on. "You know, my dad, grandpa and I have this tradition during football season: if we're all free, we get together at my dad's house to watch Thursday night football. The Jets are playing this week. You want to come with me?" he asked, taking a quick peak at his girlfriend to see her reaction as he continued filling their plates.

Surprised by the question, Eddie stood up straight from where she had been leaning against the counter. "Me?" she asked innocently.

"Yeah, you," Jamie confirmed with short laugh.

"Uh...I don't want to impose and that sounds like a guys' night kind of thing," she reasoned.

Satisfied with his culinary skills, Jamie wiped his hands on a dish towel and looked her squarely in the eyes. "You wouldn't be imposing. Besides, if you're up for it, I wanted to introduce you to them," he replied. And he really did. He'd kept things quiet when their relationship went from friends to lovers overnight, but he was ready to let the whole world know she was his girlfriend. And that meant introducing her to the family. But considering how overwhelming they could be sometimes when all gathered together, he wanted to take things slow and introduce her to the older Reagan men first.

"Really?" she said with some apprehension. She cared for Jamie a lot and figured this was coming at some point, but the fact that his father as also the PC and her boss made her extra nervous.

"Yeah, really. But if you don't want to, that's okay...," he trailed off with a gentle smile, not wanting her to feel pressured if she wasn't ready to meet his family. Jamie picked up the two plates and led them to the dining room table.

"No, uh, I do, it's just that your dad," Eddie explained as she followed behind, "he's our boss and I've never met him before."

They both took their seats, Jamie leaning forward to address her concerns. "He won't bite, I promise," he deadpanned, smiling as Eddie gave him an eye roll. "And the Commissioner's hat will be off. They're the easiest going members of the family too and I just wanted you to meet them...and they keep asking about who I've been spending so much time with these past six months, so...," he explained.

Eddie smirked. "So it gets them off your back?" she guessed.

Jamie chuckled. "Maybe, but I really do want you to meet them," he said sincerely while reaching for her hand. "You're important to me, Eddie."

Eddie could feel herself blush, but she didn't care. When she was the recipient of that look - the one that made her feel like the only person in the world that mattered - she'd probably agree to do anything he asked of her. "Then I'd love to," she said.

Jamie's face brightened and he squeezed her hand before letting go. "Great. Now let's eat because I slaved away in that kitchen all afternoon for this," he said.

"Just the way it should be, Reagan," Eddie quipped as she picked up her utensils, looking forward to the rest of their evening together and wherever else this new relationship took them.

* * *

Jamie walked into the kitchen from the dining room with the last of the dishes from dinner. His elbow bumped up against the door as he passed by it, setting it in motion so that it swung on its hinges and eventually closed behind him. To anyone who saw it happen, the move appeared accidental, but Jamie preferred to have a little privacy to run something by the older Reagan men.

Jamie placed the dishes on the island and dumped the scraps piled on the top plate into the garbage before walking them over to the sink where his father and grandfather were already hard at work. "I'll take over, gramps," he offered. Henry had been elbow deep in sudsy, hot water, scraping away at the food crusted onto one of his baking dishes while Frank was busy drying the glassware and utensils that had already been washed.

"Don't mind if you do. Thanks, Jamie," the older man said quickly. Henry pulled on the dish towel draped over his right shoulder and dried his hands and arms as he stepped away from the sink. Washing dishes was near the top of his most despised chores and he would never deny someone else the chance to do it for him. Henry took a seat on one of the stools at the island and finished his coffee as Frank and Jamie worked on.

Jamie finished washing the baking dish Henry had abandoned and handed it off to his father. "We still on for football this Thursday?" he casually asked the two men.

"Barring any urgent city business, I plan to be in my chair and in front of the TV with a glass of single malt before kickoff," Frank declared as he continued with his drying duties.

Henry brought his mug down and nodded at his grandson. "I got nowhere else to be and nowhere else I'd rather be. It's Jets-Giants this week, isn't it?" he asked excitedly.

"Yeah, it is," Jamie confirmed as he placed the last dishes in the sink.

"It'll be a great game," Frank said.

"Yeah it will," Henry agreed, looking forward to the match up.

"Uh, so do you guys mind if I bring someone with me?" Jamie asked nervously as he handed another clean plate over to Frank.

The plate in Frank's hand dripped onto the counter as he turned to study his son who was now very focused on scrubbing the next dish. "No at all," Frank answered with a quick glance at Henry.

Henry shrugged back at Frank while one corner of his mouth curled upwards. "Of course not," he said and quickly followed with, "Who are you bringing?"

Jamie turned off the faucet, leaving the few remaining dishes in the water to soak so he could turn around and face his father and grandfather. He knew his answer would lead to more questions and couldn't help but smirk at the hopeful expressions on their faces. "Eddie," Jamie said as he grabbed a dry towel from the counter.

Henry perked up upon hearing the name. "Your rookie friend?" he asked.

"Yes," Jamie nodded, pausing as he looked down at the towel in his hands, "...and, well, she's more than a friend now," he added shyly.

"Yeah?" Frank asked, pleased by the news.

"Yeah. We've been dating for a few months," Jamie clarified while dropping the towel next to the sink. He leaned back against the counter to let the interrogation commence, but he knew these two men would be the easiest members of the family to deal with.

"Really?" Henry asked. He wasn't surprised that Jamie was seeing someone; he had been a lot happier - more like the old Jamie - these past few months. He was just a little surprised that Jamie was finally admitting to it and that they were finally going to be meeting this Eddie that they'd been hearing about.

"Yeah," Jamie reconfirmed.

Frank mirrored Jamie's stance, settling against the counter to get the full story. "Are things going well?"

Jamie looked away, pursing his lips to keep the smile from splitting his face. "They are," he said as he glanced from one man to the other.

The expression on Jamie's face spoke volumes, confirming to Henry and Frank just how much this girl meant to Jamie. There was no need for further questioning on that.

"Uh, and so I thought it might be time to introduce her to everyone but I preferred not to just throw her to the wolves, so to speak," Jamie continued.

"Ahh," Frank nodded in understanding as he exchanged a smile with his father. "So a relatively quiet night with pop and me during some Thursday night football..."

"Would be a lot less nerve wracking than a Sunday dinner with the whole family. So, yeah, that was the plan," Jamie said, hoping the two men agreed with him.

Frank gave Jamie one of his patented smiles. "Sounds like a good one to me," he said.

"Me too," Henry agreed. "I'll make us something good for dinner," he promised.

"You don't have to do that, grandpa. I can pick up some pizza or something," Jamie offered, not wanting to make a big deal about this.

"Nonsense. I can't have her her eating pizza on her first visit over here. So, is she a football fan?" Henry asked. He was eager to learn more about the girl his grandson was so smitten with.

"Yeah. She is," Jamie replied.

Henry perked up again. He loved a girl who enjoyed football. "Jets fan?" he asked, not expecting to hear anything but a 'yes' in response.

Jamie grimaced, knowing how seriously his grandfather took the game. "Not quite."

Henry frowned at Jamie's expression while Frank looked on in amusement. He had a sneaking suspicion about what was coming next.

"What do you mean?" Henry grumbled.

"She's more of a Giants fan," Jamie said, realizing that this probably wasn't the week to bring Eddie over to watch football.

Henry's shoulders sagged a bit. "Oh...," Henry sighed, doing his best to hide his disappointment.

Jamie shared a look with his dad before turning back to his grandfather, concerned by what the older man was thinking. He obviously wanted everyone to like Eddie as much as he did. "Oh?" he parroted.

The slightly tentative expression on Jamie's face made Henry put a halt on any rush to judgment...it was only football after all, right? No one was perfect. "I won't hold it against her," he assured Jamie.

"That's mighty good of you, pop," Frank said with a chuckle before turning to Jamie. "So these wolves you're speaking of, Jamie...are they by any chance your brother and sister?"

"Was there really ever any doubt about who I was referring to?" Jamie snarked.

"Come on now. Wolves is a little harsh, isn't it?" Henry countered.

"I'm sure they'll be nice to her," Frank assured him.

"I'm sure they would. It's how they'd treat me in front of her that has me worried," Jamie admitted.

"Come again?" Frank asked.

Jamie sighed dramatically. "Eddie's assigned to the 5-4. She ran into Danny already and he told her about his coin collection," he huffed.

"So?" Henry said.

"So?" Jamie repeated, his eyes widening at the fact that he needed to remind these two about Danny's habit of torturing his brothers and sister. "What else is he gonna say to try and embarrass me?" he wondered out loud. "And you know once he gets going, Erin will join in."

Frank grimaced at the truth of that statement as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, that's always kind of been their job your whole life."

"Exactly!"

Both men coudn't help chuckling at Jamie's despair.

"So Danny actually told her about his coin collection? And all the other stuff you're famous for swallowing?" Henry inquired.

Jamie let out another sigh. "Not exactly. He only told her to ask me about his coin collection," he said.

"And?" Frank prompted.

"And she did. Eddie's relentless when she senses a good story. Either I caved or she would have heard a more colorful version from Danny full of half truths."

"I gotta tell you Jamie, that whole thing you did as a kid sounds like a made up story all on its own. There's no need to embellish it," Frank said.

Jamie ignored his father's statement. "The point being that no one needs to retell that story," he said adamantly.

"Oh, and it's a doozy of a story. She really forced the _whole_ thing out of you?" Henry asked doubtfully, knowing that Jamie would do anything to leave that story in the past.

"Yeah," Jamie sighed, smiling as he thought of Eddie's contagious laughter when he'd told her the whole story.

Henry chuckled as he shared a look with Frank. "I think I'm gonna like this girl."

The End

* * *

 _Thanks again to everyone that reviewed! I loved hearing your thoughts on this._

 _There have been questions about whether I will turn this into another series...I will have to think long and hard about that. If I do, I wouldn't want it to be like the other series where I follow the progression of their relationship (that would be too much of a 'been there done that' I think). If any one has any suggestions, I'm happy to listen!_

 _Let's hope for a great Jamie-filled episode tonight! :)_


	21. Epilogue

_Just something I threw together quickly. Hope you enjoy._

Epilogue

The three males jumped out of their seats and cheered in unison at the unexpected turn of events they were witnessing on the television screen as the lone female in the group hunched forward and groaned in disappointment.

"Oh, Eli," Eddie sighed sadly, dropping her head into her hands after seeing a possible game-winning touchdown pass suddenly turn into a pick six going the other way with time running out. Jamie sat back down on the couch and rubbed her back gently as he and the others continued to watch the Jets players celebrate on the field.

Henry chuckled gleefully before turning sympathetic eyes towards his grandson's girlfriend. "Well, you win some and you lose some," he offered in a solemn tone.

Despite her team's loss, Eddie couldn't help smiling when she saw Henry's shining eyes. The man was a diehard Jets fan and had made the night all the more entertaining with his colorful commentary, even if it was to often disparage her beloved Giants. However, she was not one to be outdone and easily matched Henry's quick wit in the trash talk department...much to Frank and Jamie's entertainment. And she knew he was restraining himself right now. His tone reaked of forced compassion, but his expression did little to hide the taunts that must have been stacking up inside his head. "Don't hold back on my account, Henry. I can see you vibrating with excitement over there," she teased.

Frank smiled at the young woman. "You shouldn't give him permission to gloat, Eddie. You'll probably regret it. In fact, I know you will," he said. He was glad that Jamie had finally brought her over. She was going to have no problem fitting in with this family; she definitely gave as good as she got.

"I wouldn't gloat," Henry argued. "I'm a gentleman," he declared which had the others snorting in response. Henry ignored their reactions and backed his statement with his attempt at taking the high road. "It was a close, hard-fought game and could have gone either way," he said. But he was unable to restrain himself in the end and followed with a soft jab. "We're just the better team."

Jamie smirked as he sat back and threw his arms along the back of the couch, tilting his head towards Eddie. "Here he goes," he warned in a mock whisper, despite agreeing with his grandfather wholeheartedly. Jamie was a smart man and kept his mouth closed otherwise. He didn't want to get kicked to the curb when they got back to Eddie's place later; he planned to have her snuggled up next to him for the rest of the night.

Eddie snorted, crossing her arms in front of her as she readied herself for some more trash talk. "It's okay. I got my big-girl pants on," she said.

Henry held one hand up in Eddie's direction and backed down from further attack about as gently as the smug Jet's fan possibly could. "I'll just enjoy reading the sports section tomorrow," he replied, not wanting to pour salt into the wound. "And watching the highlights on Sportscenter."

Eddie nodded back. "I'm sure you will," she laughed.

Jamie looked at his watch and squeezed Eddie's shoulder affectionally. "It's late. We should get going," he said as he stood up from the couch, offering Eddie his hand.

Jamie led Eddie to the foyer with Frank and Henry following behind.

"Eddie, it was a real pleasure to meet you. We hope to see you again real soon," Frank said with a smile.

"Likewise, sir," Eddie replied while Jamie helped her into her jacket. The Commissioner had asked her to call him "Frank" several times, but she just couldn't. They may be in an informal setting, but this was the first time she had ever met him in person and she couldn't help seeing him as anything but her boss. Regardless of that fact, she could easily see why Jamie had turned out so well. He'd been warm and inviting, making her feel at home from the moment she stepped foot into the house.

"Same goes for me, young lady. And hopefully next time we won't have any rivalries getting in the way," Henry said. He'd enjoyed the back and forth with Eddie all night and she'd seemed to also enjoy a few of his cop stories from back in the day. On top of that, she had praised his cooking skills - which was always a great way to win Henry over. She had thoroughly enjoyed the fillet he'd treated them all to that night. He considered this a special occasion after all, finally getting to meet Jamie's girl. And he loved a girl who could eat, none of that salad only nonsense girls these days insisted on.

"I look forward to it, Henry. Goodnight," Eddie smiled.

"Goodnight," Frank replied as he pulled the door open for the pair.

Jamie sent a smile his father and grandfather's way, thankful for the great night they'd had. He knew they would take to Eddie as easily as he had. "Night, Dad. Pops."

"'Night son. Drive safe," Frank said.

"We will," Jamie said over his shoulder as he followed Eddie down the front steps.

Frank and Henry watched them for a few minutes until Jamie's car pulled away from the curb, then Frank closed the door with a satisfied sigh. "I think he's got a good one there," he said when he turned to meet his father' eyes.

"And a looker too," Henry threw out.

Frank gave his father a smirk. "Pop."

"What? I'm old but I'm not dead, Francis," Henry complained as he returned to the living room. "A cop and a football fan. I like her already, despite the fact she roots for the Giants," he said while moving through the living room turning off the lamps. "No one's perfect," Henry shrugged.

Frank chuckled at his father's assessment of Eddie. "Jamie always was a good judge of character. It's good to see him happy," he said.

Henry stepped over to the staircase where Frank was waiting for him. "Yeah, it is. I never understood how God could bestow such a heavy burden on a kid like him. It's tough enough losing your wife after decades of marriage, but just as your trying to get your life started together? No newlywed should have to suffer that kind of loss," Henry declared.

Frank nodded in agreement. "Makes you question a lot of things. But you have to trust that God has a plan for each of us," Frank offered.

"Yeah. But sometimes I worried we'd never have the old Jamie back," Henry said as he went up the stairs.

"Me too, pop. But not anymore," Frank replied with a smile as he followed Henry up the stairs.


End file.
